Kingdom Hearts: The Final Mix
by Chaos0110
Summary: All right! This is my Final Mix version of KH. It was called KH The Altered Version. This fanfic has new worlds, characters, all characters from the first, new scenes, weapons and boss battles. So, it is sort of like FM. -UPDATE- Unedited Chapter 5 UP
1. Disclaimer

Author's Note - Chaos0110  
  
Well, I know, you came for an update. But I still haven't written the whole next chapter yet. I've put this Author's Note up to give you a little info on how this fanfic is going.   
  
Yes, I have titled the story, The Final Mix. I'm sure everyone has heard about Japan's release of the game, which is titled this. And, as you can guess, I'm going to begin adding in stuff from Final Mix. This fanfic will also have some things that can only be found from the new KH Manga too. But, that's not all.  
  
I've titled it THE Final Mix because I've changed it and made it better, even fixing a few loopholes. In this fanfic, there now are 11 more worlds added to what was in Kingdom Hearts. There are also 8 new spells(not really NEW), 10 new summons along with the old ones, one changed summon, 13 new Keyblades, more weapons for Donald and Goofy, all weapons and abilities in Final Mix, New Disney characters, several made up abilities, more bosses, more Heartless, 3 new and 1 changed Princesses of Heart, all Ansem Reports, more Villains and more emotions and all that junk. Along with that, some of the script will be changed for the worlds that were originally in KH.  
  
Also, the One Winged Keyblade will be included from Final Mix. But not Ice Titan's Keyblade, there's a reason for that. The only hint I'll give you of the next world after Wonderland(which is a new one) is that it is based on a movie that was considered Disney's biggest failure, even though I don't believe so myself. 


	2. Reality vs Fantasy

**Chapter 1 - Reality vs. Fantasy**

by Chaos0110

Author's Note:

This story is based on the Disney Interactive and Squaresoft game 'Kingdom Hearts'.

Ever since I played the game myself I noticed a few things in the game that could have been better( - me being my pessimistic self). And that's where this fanfic comes in. I decided to rewrite the entire game my way, where Disney truly is portrayed as not being just childish while still retaining what makes it great to me.

Of course I'm not trying to make any money off this, the original game itself and its characters belong to Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I'll change most of the things about the original game except for the basic, main plot. I'm mostly changing what happens in each of the separate worlds while the lead character is on his journey to find his friends and I doubt I'll get that many reviews because noone seems to like Disney that much, and that is something that is huge in this fanfic because I love Disney. Well, most of it. ;)

And, by the way, to the few FF fans reading this, I am planning to add more FF characters to the story, and, for some odd reason, most of the ones that fit into the worlds and storyline of this that I could pick out came from FFIX and FFVII. ;

FFIX - My favorite.

FFVII - My least favorite.

Now let me get this boring beginning started!

Thinking of you, wherever you are...

We pray for our sorrows to end,

and hope that our hearts will blend.

Now I will step forward to realize this wish.

And who knows:

starting a new journey may not be so hard

or maybe it has already begun.

There are many worlds,

but they share the same sky

one sky, one destiny.

KINGDOM HEARTS

He wore a loose, bright red jumpsuit that had many zippers and chains laced upon it with a blue belt keeping the overall feel of the suit in place. He also wore a black and white zipper-up jacket with a hood that hung loosely from his neck, so he could pull it up over his head if need came to be. His palms and wrists were covered with white gloves, fingers wiggling freely where the leather cut off at his knuckles. The most noticeable feature being his huge, yellow sneakers.

Sora opened his eyes lazily, waking from, what he thought, had been a dream as his silver-crowned necklace dangled above his neck. After taking in the seagreen of his surroundings, his eyes widened in puzzlement.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately," Sora said as he thought each word in his head before he announced them. "Like, is any of this for **real** or not?" he seemingly asked himself, the environment he floated through being empty except for the pulsating light above.

Lolling his head back and forth, he vaguely realized that he was alone, that he didn't even know where he was, though the seagreen looked faintly familiar to the waters below the shoreline of his island home. But, that was impossible! He couldn't possibly be underwater. He could breathe couldn't he?

As he descended faster into what, suprisingly, was darkness that began to shine, he noticed without caring that bubbles tracked his falling feet. The entire feeling of this underwater nowhere created a nauseating, sleepy effect on him as he shifted his eyes closed.

As he suddenly felt weight returning to his feet, he quickly opened his turpid eyelids. Sora was standing on the shore of the place of his childhood. Distant memories that were of no concern to the moment at hand rushed to his mind as the smell of ocean water filled his nostrils and the noise of hungry seagulls engulfed his ears. Glancing back and forth over the beach to the wooden dock, the spring of fresh water, and the lofty, old shack to reassure himself that he was, in fact, NOT dreaming, he turned his view to the horizon.

He blocked the view of the glaring sunlight with his hand as he noticed his closest friend standing peacefully in the middle of the knee-high ocean water at the edge of the shore. The water was silent, though it washed over the sand and occasionally collided with his overly large shoes, trying to pull him back in with it.

Noticing that Riku oddly couldn't tell that he was being watched by his younger friend, Sora smiled before moving the muscles of his legs to jog over to the silent form of his best friend. As soon as his flesh touched the dead water, the ocean became alive, pulling itself out to the ocean to build itself up while leaving a line of foam over the sand as the only evidence that it had ever been there.

Shocked by the sudden activity of the tide waters, Sora watched as the salty water curled itself up into the air around five feet high above his and Riku's heads. As if noticing finally that he was being watched just as the waves began to form, Riku turned his silver-covered head to meet his spiky, brown-haired watcher, revealing a yellow and black jersey covering his chest, blue slacks strapped to the cloth of his waistline, and black wrist-holders just below the palm of his hand.

Cyan met dark blue as Riku fully turned himself to meet his fourteen-year old friend. He held out his black covered hand to Sora as a small smirk made itself known to his young face. Sora, wondering why Riku was being so insane as to just stand under an oncoming wave, ran to his outstretched hand and grabbed for it just as the water came crashing down over the both of them.

He was flung backwards at least five feet and, for some reason, couldn't feel the ocean floor anywhere near his grasp even though he had just been standing on it. Noticing with unbelievable eyes that Riku hadn't budged an inch, Sora stretched out his hand for Riku to help save himself now.

Squinting his eyes at the pressure and sting of the salt water to his eyes, Sora pushed himself against the ripping of the water against his body to clutch at the glove of his best friend. Trying his hardest didn't seem to be enough as he was swept away with the current as he watched Riku stand as still as a statue, the boy's smirk clearly written into his memory.

Even though he knew he hadn't run very far at all, it was a long while before the water carried him close to the shore, the seagreen radiating from the surface now a fading orange glinted with purple. Knowing that his lungs would burst if he didn't get air soon he waved his arms widely so as to break through the surface of the ocean. He pushed himself up to stand in the fading sunlight. Nearly sundown...how is that possible? It had just been noon at the latest!

A moving figure made him focus his aqua eyes on a memorable girl at the edge of the beach, waving at him to get his attention. Kairi smiled and called for him from the shore, the pendant around her neck swinging with movement over her white shirt, legs slightly shaking inside her purple skirt.

Sora smiled gladly to see another familiar face before waving to her and running up to meet her. As he leaned down to catch his breath from first nearly drowning to just running to intercept the girl on the shore, he couldn't help but smile at her incessant giggling.

She smiled down to him and giggled yet again while hiding her hands behind her back and wiggling her purple and white flip-flops. The giggle itself seemed to break the silence of the islands that Sora hadn't noticed until then. The seagulls were hiding away in their nests in the trees, the water was as dead as it had been minutes before, and even the spring seemed to have gone mute.

She shook with laughter, steadily holding her face up to the sky as her giggles ceased. Seeing her look of bewilderment, Sora turned to meet the gaze of several falling objects passing between the skys.

Between the falling stars was a human boy that was descending steadily towards the ocean with the meteors. Kairi gasped, her hand shuddering over her mouth. Suddenly Sora felt himself being pulled backwards, with nothing holding him back. The girl turned to his gaze and gasped, another shocked look overtaking her face as she reached to grasp his hand. The sand beneath him had turned to sky and the only thing below was ocean water.

As he toppled faster Sora gave his arm one last stretch up to her, knowing that it was inevitable. Kairi called his name, desperately trying to get a hold on his hand. Before he knew it, her form shimmered and melted into the cloudy landscape now surrounding him.

Sora let his hands fall hopelessly to his sides as he hit the water, knowing that the surface was probably bursting with the moving water. He fell towards what he assumed the bottom of the ocean, bubbles following him once more.

Sora closed his eyes, fearing that he had gone insane, as he fell but quickly reopened them when he felt himself slowing down... Before he knew it, he seamlessly landed upon a large, rounded surface. He looked around to see only the darkness of nothingness, his hopes falling with the sudden feeling of despair of being lost. Where was he anyway? Could anyone ever find him here? Who WOULD look here anyway?

Knowing the only hopes he had of ever finding something somewhere, Sora moved to take a step but, unbelievably, the darkness moved beneath his feet. As the ground crackled and dissipated outwards, a bright an anonymous light revealed itself. His eyes used to the dark of the abyss, he had to cover his eyes just so he wouldn't be blinded by the sudden brightness. Slowly removing his gloved hand from his sight, he kept his line of view on the ground, curious as to what was actually happening.

As the darkness fluttered upwards, many white feathers were left floating around him... Wait... FEATHERS? He locked onto the leaving darkness to notice that they hadn't been shadows at all, nor had they been dark, they were just hundreds of resting doves that he had disturbed during their time of sleep.

Glancing down again to see exactly what he was standing on, he jumped backwards at the sight of an ebony-haired maiden painted across a green circled canvas. Her skin as white as snow, she was covered with a blue and yellow gown. She held a lucious apple to her serene face, which looked as if it had recently been violated by the girl's bright, red lips.

She was surrouned by the colorless lines of seven, seemingly small men, all with big round noses and large hoods. Odd looking animals also decorated her surroundings, they all looked as if they had been given spirits and lives of their own and looked at the maiden adoringly. All but one... An ugly old hag, adorned with a peddler woman's guise, wart on nose and all, at the girl's yellow-bowed feet, who looking satisfyingly smug with the girl's almost dead face.

Sora couldn't help but stare at the unique beauty of the feature, jumping at the sound of a mysteriously soundless voice... Where WAS he after all? And how did someone make their words known without making a sound? It's as if the voice was speaking right into his mind...and it wasn't a good feeling.

"So much to do, so little time... Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut."

The boy looked out over the maiden's features yet again as he searched for the owner of the creepy voice.

"Now, step forward. Can you do it?" the voice asked him. Looking up into the spiraling darkness above...he gasped at the sudden ringing of a trapezoid-shaped stone raising itself out of the ground to his left. It had a royal design covering its surface, and it tinged as a small circle of blue light just above it revealed a twirling black and red shield. The shield gleamed a signature shape of mouse ears at its center.

"Power sleeps within you..." the voice told him as yet another trapezoid stone raised itself out of the maiden's painting in similar fashion to the one above it at his right. Sora watched as another flash of blinding blue light revealed a green and brown staff, a blue orb of mouse ears being its tip as it floated solemnly above the unmoving stone.

"If you give it form..." the voice continued systematicly. Knowing that it had happened twice before already, he wasn't suprised as another stone raised itself directly in front of him. This time a sword adorning a slender white blade and a golden handle appeared. The handle's symbol red button carried the same symbol as its fellow weapons, a black set of mouse ears...

"It will give you strength", the voice said, finally finishing its own sentence.

"Choose well", it told the befuddled spiky-haired teenager. Sora glanced at each of the twirling weapons... 'Choose well'? What's going on here? Why does he need a weapon anyway...? His eyes came to rest on the glinting blade of the sword in front of him. Well, he HAD always wanted to be a warrior... To be able to beat anyone he'd ever come up against... Even when dueling Riku...

Rushing up and jerking the sword into his outstretched hand, he held it up to take it all in, all thoughts of his friends fading to the back of his mind as he was informed of the potential of the cutting metal.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction... Is this the power you seek?" the voice asked him. Sora thought about the speaker's words... 'Terrible destruction'? That sounded eerie. He wanted a weapon that would bring glory and happiness... But the voice had said that it COULD bring terrible destruction, not that it would...and he sure he could control his own actions. He confirmed the speaker's question by nodding his smiling face up to it.

Instantly, the sword disappeared into sparkling nothingness, losing its physical reality. What the-! Sora wondered, shocked as he stared up to where he guessed the voice would be watching him.

"Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?" it questioned him. Still wondering what was really the point to this in the first place, he stumbled up to the red shield and grasped the handle on its back in the palm of his right hand.

"The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all... You give up this power?" the voice asked him. How could he give up something that meant so much? It had the power to repel all that stood in its way and it symbolized the kindness shared between friends... 'How could he ever give up something that stood for his friends?' he asked himself as images of a familiar red-head flashed through his mind.

Sora quickly shook his head as he let the shield release itself from his fingers and resume its rotation in the air as he turned to the last untouched artifact.

"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin... You give up this power?" it questioned him as he took the mystical staff into his hand. Sora knew that he couldn't give up the shield's value, so he guessed this would have to do. The object disappeared as just as the sword had as he nodded again.

"You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?" the mysterious voice asked him.

Thoughts of a strong, smiling hero faded through his mind's eye as he thought of himself as a warrior. He'd never be as powerful as a mystic than if he were a warrior. Smiling proudly, he nodded to the voice's words.

The maiden's features shuddered as the pedestals fell through, causing him to lose standing and fall to his hands and knees himself. He watched as the pedestals caved through the painting just as they had come...but he didn't expect it when the outside of the painting began to shatter into pieces inwards to where he was.

Sora tried to push himself to his feet and jump for safety, but he was taken by gravity before he had a chance to do anything. Where would he have jumped for anyway? He couldn't help but feel sick as he fell with the glass shards. It was if he were riding a roller coaster, but faster. He couldn't keep his eyes closed as he noticed another platform swinging into view below him.

Sora held his arms up defensively, expecting to crash hard into the solid surface, but noticed that he was slowing to a stop once more. Landing smoothly and painlessly to his feet, he stared upon another young woman.

Her beauty was crafted in blues and whites surrounding her golden head. She wore blue earrings that connected to one another through a head strap that kept her golden hair up in a bun. She was embellished in a blue, almost white, gown that led to her feet bottoms, matching gloves hovering over the sides as she glanced down at her own dress as if she too was amazed.

Blue circles surrounding her were painted with pictures of castles, carriages, and horses and also gave views on many different positions of a dancing man and woman. A single glass slipper, a heart heading its figure, stood on its own in a blue circle at the edge of the beautiful glass pane.

As Sora finished examining the newest platform, he looked around expectantly. A physical form slowly came to rest in his palm, as the gleaming sword he had chosen beforehand came to his hand

"You've gained the power to fight," the voice said as he swiped the sword violently in front of himself.

"All right! You've got it. Use this power to protect yourself and others. There will be times you will have to fight," the voice exclaimed just as the boy noticed a mysterious imprint appear on the maiden's dress. It was completely flat and black, at least it _WAS_. The creature had pulled itself from the floor, like a shadow coming to life, just as another appeared flattened out beside it.

They were little creatures with bright yellow eyes and strangely resembled the shape of an ant. It had two antennas popping out of its head and it walked on all fours.

"Keep your light burning strong," the voice said as a final word of caution as it left the boy to fight the ant-like creatures, who had increased in numbers.

He shot out, hitting one in the face just as another hit him in the back with its front leg. He continued to strike the creatures with his faithful blade until, finally, he defeated one, who dissolved into tiny green spheres. Feeling defeated, the rest molded into the floor and disappeared. He touched the green spheres that remained in their wake and it seemed as if they were absorbed into his body, making him feel brighter.

Just as he thought he was safe, the anonymous voice shouted, "Behind you!"

He turned to see that the creatures hadn't fled after all. Once he had only one creature left, he saw that green spheres had been sprawled across the platform. He turned back to see the creature flatten itself into the glass, and was shocked when the entire platform was engulfed in, what seemed to be, liquid darkness.

He watched as the platform disappeared beneath his feet, leaving him to slowly sink into the surrounding dark, wrestling to free himself. He closed his eyes in fear of being swallowed by the darkness and when he opened them he stopped struggling. He was on yet another platform, what was the point of all this, to scare him out of his mind?

As he stood he saw that this platform also had a woman gracing its features. This woman stood out compared to the maidens he had seen so far. She had long red hair flowing aside her beautiful smiling face with closed eyes. There was a large blue bow in the back of her hair. She wore a dress crossed with a long-sleeved shirt. The shirt, which was a bright blue, flowed across her arms showing that the sleeves were slighty oversized where they ended at her wrists. Her chest was covered with a black corset that ended in a large triangle edge at her waste, with the top having a smaller triangle cut out of the front middle. Where the corset ended a darker shade of blue began the dress that reached down to her ankles, where black heeled shoes were visible. She had her hands clasped together over her neck, as if she had no voice.

Around her head and waist was the usual circle, that the boy had come to notice appeared in every platform so far. The circles, which all were colored the same as the platform, a dark blue green, held a castle unlike the one on the last platform. This castle had towers and juts and turns going in all directions as if the people didn't have a need to walk along the rock pathways atall. Three of the six circles shown the sun setting

Two circles at her waist held two ocean type animals. The circle directly to the right of her waist, but not in the outer circles, held a seperate fish that had three stripes and a spike of hair. The mirroring circle on the left contained a seagull that held a fork in it's right wing.

To the girl's right, on the outer edge, was a young man that seemed about the same age as the woman. He had deep, dark eyebrows and perfectly combed thick hair, though he had a plain shirt. The circle beneath the man encircled an older man who had his hair tied back and was dressed in a proper suit with a dull look on his face.

Across, to the girl's left was a man who's face was stained with age. He had a long beard, with a spiked crown resting atop his head. His chest was fully exposed but his lower body was cut off by the circle. He held a weapon that had three sharp points spread across it's top, the middle standing tallest. The circle below the man had an unusual crab. The crab had huge pincers and a large mouth. He was staring anxiously up at the girl in the middle.

Directly below the girl were four circles that also stood out. The two circles nearest the center held in each a woman. In one was a beautiful woman with long dark hair, her face carrying a strange smirk. She adorned around her neck a seashell that had three cracks on its edge. She wore across her lithe, thin body a wedding dress. She looked strangely like the woman in the center.

Across from her was one of the ugliest women that the boy had ever seen. She had long slick hair, that floated above her head. Her skin was darkened and her face was covered in eyeliner and lipstick with a mole on her lower right cheek. Thick lines of age circled her cracked smile and peircing eyes. She held her hands in front of her, clasped smoothly together looking directly forwards. Her overweight body was joined with the form of an octopus, her tentacles wrapped around her plump arms. Strangely, she wore the same seashell necklace as the woman across from her.

The outer two circles of these women were identical. They each held a slimy looking eel with a thin line of hair like a mohawk going straight across the top and bottom of its snake-like body. The remaining circles held a various assortment of underwater animals.

At the top of the platform, just above the maiden's blue bow was a door. It was a peculiar door as it had no back to open to and it was see through, seeming to be only an illusion. It had designs paralled on each side of the two handles at it's center, all of which blended with the main color, a light burgundy. On each side, directly beside the handle, there was a jut inwards, that looked as if an oval piece had been cut out of each side.

As the boy walked to it and reached to pull the handle and lurch the door open, his hand fazed right through it.

"I can't open it," he said to himself, and turned around to see a light shine downwards from above, a gold and red chest appearing. It had an indent into it where a keyhole should be, it was the same shape as the mouse ears on his sword.

The boy ran towards the chest and, with all his might, wrapped his hands around the edge and pulled upwards to open it. It didn't budge an inch. He examined the chest and finally noticed the indent in the middle. He pressed the similar shape on his sword to the indent, and suprisingly, the chest's lid popped open with a snapping sound.

He reached in to find two oval-shaped robin egg-colored jewels. He knew they probably went to the door so he ran back up to the door. He pressed in one of the oval-shaped jewels into each empty spot on the door, each side shuddering with light and focusing, appearing more solid, as he did so.

Once the door appeared more realistic, the boy reached out and grasped each of the handles and pulled. From the slightest gap between the two sides, a solid white beam of light shot out. The boy let go of the handles and backed away, squinting his eyes as he looked into the light, but the doors moved of their own accord.

It wasn't until he was almost blinded from the light that everything around him disappeared and he reappeared, instead, on the lush green island from a little while before, though he was standing in a different area. He was up above the sand in a boxed in area with only one path leading to the exit, which was blocked by another person. The entire area was made of wood, which made up the floorboard as well, with one huge treetop looming overhead.

As he looked around he noticed that three people sat around him in a circle, staring straight at him. The person in front of him was a young brunette, who seemed a preteen, and was wearing a yellow strap on dress that went down to her hips and brown flip-flops. She sat on the edge of railing above an endless ocean, using her arms to support her while she looked at him with her peircing green eyes.

To his left was a boy with blonde hair, who appeared to be about his own age. He wore a tiny yellow and white shirt that wasn't pulled together, leaving his chest exposed, with blue pants, one side ending shorter than the other, covering his legs and green and yellow flip-flops pulled onto his feet. He had bright, blue eyes that expressed the greatest happiness.

And lastly, behind him was another boy who was older than the other two and who was blocking the exit to the beach below. He had orange hair that was held up in a curl with a large, blue bandana that stood out against his tan skin. He wore a white shirt outlined in blue which was followed by yellow pants with blue 'X's at the bottom of each side and army green flip-flops.

"Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself," the voice said to him, the first time he had heard it since he had melted down through the platform with the blue dressed maiden.

The boy decided to just talk to these people, maybe they knew some answers to what was happening. He walked forward to the girl. Before he could open his mouth she had asked him a question.

"What's most important to you?"

He thought about the question for several seconds before answering, "Friendship."

"Hmm, friendship?" she said aloud, though it wasn't really a question. He turned to the blonde boy to the girl's left. Again, before he could utter a word, he had been asked another question.

"What are you afraid of?" That was kind of a personal question, but he answered anyway.

"Getting old."

The blond boy's eyebrow raised. "Is getting old really such a big deal?"

Well, not really, but he was afraid of it anyway. He walked to the final remaining boy who had his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner with a blue and white striped ball resting at his right ankle.

Not expecting anything different, he wasn't suprised when he had been asked another question.

"What do you want out of life?" It wasn't as simple as the other questions he had been asked so far. He wasn't really sure but gave an answer that wasn't entirely a lie.

"To broaden my horizons," he replied.

"Broaden your horizons, huh?" he said as he bent down, picked up the blue and white ball and began twirling it in his hands.

"Very interesting... Your journey begins at dawn. As long as the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one," the unworldly voice said to the boy. "The day you will open the door is both far off and very near".

The people surrounding the little area the boy stood inside disappeared. He walked along the wood forming the path to a latter down. As he reached the latter, the island once again disappeared, fading into another platform.

'What is going on?' the boy thought to himself.

The maiden strawn across this platform adorned a blue gown detailed with parallel lines along the entire length, originating at the white collar wrapped loosely around her slouched shoulders, and was encompassed by her extensive yellow locks. Her eyes were still and she seemed to be sleeping. The only people pictured atop the red platform were three stout women, who had no lines to detail them, in the circular highlights placed above the maiden's head. The outer circles were of red-petaled roses which were similar to the single red rose the maiden burdened in her elegant hands which were rested upon her chest. Huge briars with sharp, black thorns were wrapped around the circles with roses.

He walked forwards to look for anything that might need to be accomplished. As he did, the creatures that attacked him before appeared out of the ground and surrounded him from all directions. The sword appeared, once again, in the palm of the boy's right hand. He attacked, lurching forward to catch one off guard. The rest doing an awkward dance as they advanced on him. He spun around, slashing the sword against any creature within his reach. Slowly, the number of the shadow creatures minimized.

As he cut the flesh of the last creature and it disappeared, leaving green spheres to join the littered floor of the platform, a light shown down from the darkness above, creating a small circle. He walked to the circle of light and, as he stepped upon the light, he felt better than he had ever been. He guessed the circle of light healed you of all ailments once you touch it.

Suddenly, the circle of light moved itself until it hit the darkness just beyond the end of the platform, where the maiden's head lay, and created a rising stair of rainbow steps through the darkness. He ran forward, tested the steps to make sure that they wouldn't fall by jumping on them, and then ran up the stair of colors until he had traveled to another platform.

The platform was a bright yellow, standing out beside the darkness. The maiden amidst the circles surrounding her had deep, brown hair that flared against her pale, white skin. Her dress, which began from the yellow fabric held loosely around her shoulders, began with a yellow corset and endng with an expanded dress that had gentle, curved patterns in each row of fabric. Her arms, like many before her, were covered with yellow gloves that originated just above her elbows.

A dark figure protruded from behind her. It was hairy with short horns where ears should have been, fangs, a fluffy tail, and a scornful face. He was cloaked with a purple cloth that was kept together with a round brooch.

The circles above the maiden's and beast's heads were of several furniture and household items. Each seemed to be alive in it's own way. A royal looking clock with short stubs for legs, its clock hands portrayed a mustache to his annoyed face with its handles against its sides in a motherly manner.

To the clock's opposite direction was a candelabra. It looked to be made of brass, it's eyes at the center candle, and body slouched with its two other candle arms hanging hopelessly at its sides, all this making it seem to have failed at something of extreme importance.

Below the ornamental clock was a plump tea pot, looking as perturbed as the candle holder. Its eyes closed in a graceful, excepting manner with a small handle and a top that was curved, with a sphere seated atop it.

Across from the tea pot was a tea cup which looked to be, obviously, ornamented the same as the tea pot. With a small chip in it's handle as the nose, it had it's center puffed out like a man would his chest in a proud stance with a smug smile.

The circles lining the edge of the platform were filled with a collection of live kitchenware, cleaning items, and other comforting things consisting of cutlery, footstools, feather dusters, china plates, birds, and drinking glasses. The circle at the top of the platform held a glass cover that contained a red petaled rose, with the circle at the bottom containing wilted red petals.

The boy slowly walked forward to the center awaiting instructions from the unknown voice. "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes."

He looked back to his shadow as the mysterious voice spoke about it. The large and peculiar black depths of his shadow began to rise. He jumped backwards, but his shadow didn't follow him.

"But don't be afraid."

The boy turned and fled for safety, but there was nowhere else to go, the rainbow stairs had long since vanished. He turned around just as the creature had rose to it's full form, the sword that he had been using appearing in his hands as he stared.

The creature was pitch black, with blue shading because of the light of the platform shining against its skin. Its chest contained a cut out heart so that you could see through it. It had claw-like fingers, spiky wings, glowing yellow eyes, zig-zag feet, and unruly hair that mimicked the boy's.

The dark creature rose its hand to grasp thin air as colored sparks surrounded the hand and plunged it into the platform. Swirling darkness formed around its fingers. The boy knew he had to fight, even if it did seem hopeless. He climbed up the creature's lowered hand up to its head and striked with the mighty sword.

It was hit in the eyes and it rose quickly into the air clutching them in voiceless agony. The boy feel from the creature's hand to meet the ant-like creatures from before down onto the platform. He guessed they had come from the swirling darkness, because they were as dark as it had been.

They attacked before he even touched the ground, jumping up to meet him. He fell flat, hurt from the creatures butting heads. He stood up quickly and began to whack them with his sword when he was hit hard in the back. Stumbling, he turned around, but kept moving for fear of being attacked by the ant-like creatures again.

His former shadow had recovered from being slashed in the eyes, and was on both it's knees, arms spread wide. Purple light was shining from the heart shape in his chest. He was wondering what had hit him so hard when the shadow released several moving globes of purple light. The color blurring backwards like fire as it flew, it headed straight toward him along with its companions.

He jumped up and striked the globes with the side of his sword so that they flew back to their creator. Once again, the enemy creature was hit in the eyes, but this time light poured outwards, consisting of the same color of purple as the globes. It jerked outwards and all around like lightning as the creature stood up and tried to cover the injury, stomping on it's creations, the ant-like creatures, as it did so.

As the light ceased the creature stared down at him menacingly. It formed fists with its hands and punched at the boy's place on the platform. The boy, instinctly, jumped backwards and was suprised when the sword disappeared from his right hand. The boy barely glanced at the retreating sword before he was forced to bound backwards again as the creature kneeling in front of him lurched forwards to attack.

He fell to the floor from his leap, staring at the sinister creature above. It stared ominously back at him as darkness began to swirl unexpectedly around the boy's form.

"-But don't be afraid".

The darkness began to entangle around the boy's legs as he lay there.

"You hold the mightiest weapon of all."

The boy, finally noticing the danger, turned to search for safety as the darkness then surrounded his entire body. He wallowed in it as he reached to grasp anything that could help him pull himself free.

"So don't forget:"

The boy sat hopelessly as the darkness curled itself over his shocked and fearful face.

"You are the one who will open the door."

A journey...

where you'll never know...

who you will run into next...

KINGDOM HEARTS

:) I hope you liked it, yes I added in that new platform. It was kind of boring to write because I had to describe more than people talked. It might not have been that good, but if it wasn't in your opinion, the next chapter will hopefully be better.

I might have the next chapter up by next weekend, the beginning of November. It just depends if I don't get too much homework from my annoying English and Math teachers.


	3. Far Away Skies

Kingdom Hearts - Destiny Islands - Day 1  
  
by Chaos0110  
  
Author's Note:   
  
Here's the second part. This part of the story will be a lot of quote, it won't be much different until I get to the chapters on either Traverse Town or Wonderland. This is mostly quote because parts of the character's personalities are made here and I don't want to change them much. This entire novel length story is from Sora's POV, so you want here about things that are happening elsewhere.  
  
Here we go!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He opened his eyes to the bright blue sky, slowly lowering them to look out onto the ocean from where he sat on the island's shore. 'It must have all been just a dream,' he thought to himself. He yawned and leaned backwards. 'Might as well get more sleep.'  
  
As he layed down he came face to face with a familiar red head above him. He jumped up, "Whoa!"  
  
He turned around on his knees to face her as she giggled with her hands on her knees.  
  
"Gimme a break, Kairi," he said restlessly.  
  
She stood up to full height, hands behind her back, looking to the sky. "Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here," she said in a knowing voice.  
  
"No! This huge, black THING swallowed up!" he shouted, staring at the sand thoughtfully as Kairi lolled her head to the side in a bored way. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't -- Ow!" he shouted as Kairi hit him hard on the head with her right hand.  
  
"Are you still dreaming?" she asked, hands on her knees so that she was at his height on his knees.  
  
"It wasn't a dream!" he shouted at her in defense. 'But then,' he thought, 'it couldn't have been real?' "Or was it? I don't know," he said, unsure. "What was that place?" he asked aloud, hoping that maybe someone could explain it to him. "So bizarre..."   
  
"Yeah, sure," Kairi said disbelievingly. She walked past him towards the ocean so that she could get a better view, hands, once again, behind her back and clasped together, her short, purple skirt swaying in the breeze.  
  
"Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up," he asked, remembering that she had come to the Islands where he lived, instead of growing up there.  
  
"I've told you before, I don't remember," she said with her hands now at her sides.  
  
"Nothing at all?" he asked slowly, seeing that this was a personal question. It was her past he was talking about.  
  
"Nothing," she said, her head nodding as she answered, as if she was trying to get herself to believe it.  
  
"You ever want to go back?" he asked, watching her back. He knew if he ever had to leave the Destiny Islands, he would want to be able to come back.  
  
"Well, I'm happy here," she told him in a cheerful voice.  
  
"Really..."  
  
"But you know.... I wouldn't mind going to see it," she said, finally admitting the truth.  
  
"I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there. I want to see 'em all!" he shouted. He had recently started to believe that there were other 'worlds' out there. His tiny island home couldn't be the only inhabited place in the entire universe. He had also started to have daydreams about what other worlds would be like.  
  
"So what're we waiting for?" she questioned, turning to face him.  
  
"Hey," a voice shouted from behind Sora. He turned to see a boy with silver hair, holding a wooden log. "Aren't you guys forgetting about me?" the boy asked angrily. "I guess I'm the only one working on the raft," he said, cracking a smile and shaking his head in disbelief. He walked past Sora and threw the strip of wood carelessly at him, Sora's hands swinging up to catch it in suprise.  
  
"And your just as lazy as he is!" he shouted at Kairi, with his left hand on his hip.  
  
Kairi held her hand up to her hair to rub her head in a guilty gesture. She smiled up to him nervously. "So you noticed. Okay, we'll finish it together," she said, throwing her arms outwards as if she was about to hug the taller boy.  
  
As the silver headed boy sat down tiredly beside Sora, not convinced, she shouted, "I'll race you."  
  
"Huh?" Sora asked in suprise, she never raced with anyone.  
  
"What, are you kidding?" the older boy asked, also disbelieving.  
  
She just giggled at their suprised replies and shouted, "Ready, Go!" She watched the two boys turn to look each other, not moving. They both jumped up, running to the opposite end of the island. She watched as they jogged and began to run, slowly, herself.  
  
Sora set his eyes on their destination, the door to the other side of the island, and didn't look back. He could here Kairi's persistent giggles following behind him. They passed the old, wooden shack, ran under the small bridge that led to an area in the water just off the shore, and up the wooden board that acted as a ramp to the door.   
  
The taller boy, after taking a few more strides had managed to jump in front of Sora at the last moment, winning the short race. They waited as Kairi ran up to them and giggled.  
  
"Well, I've done my share for the raft," the silver headed boy said aloud as they finished catching their breath. "I'm going over to to the Paopu Tree to rest until you bums finish gathering the rest of the stuff we need for the raft," he said walking back under the bridge and to the cabin that led to the Paopu Tree, smiling.  
  
Sora watched him go and turned to Kairi who was beaming up at him.   
  
"So, uh, do you want me to get the other stuff?" he asked her, already knowing the answer. Ever since the idea of the raft had come up, Kairi had become the leader of its building. She gave lists to both of the boys to go find supplies that were needed. They never included the other children on the island since the three of them were best friends and they wanted to go on the raft alone.  
  
"Well, if you don't mind, we need several logs, a big cloth for the sail and some rope, just in case. Bring everything back here for the night. If you need any help just ask," she informed him. "I'm counting on you!" she ended, smiling her bright smile up at him.  
  
"No problem!" he told her, as he turned to leave.   
  
He ran past the shack heading for the dock where the youngest kid on the Islands, Selphie, always stayed, unless she was dueling with someone. As he went past the rocks that held up the pathways beside the dock, he heard someone shout out to him. He turned to see Wakka, the oldest of the other children on the island.  
  
"What's happening, man?" he asked, his hands folded behind his head holding the white and blue ball as a cushion. "What's the rush?"  
  
"Nothing, just looking for something," Sora answered quickly.  
  
"So, you up for a round?" the older boy asked. "Selphie, thinks she's in charge around here, it's such a drag. But at least the parents don't come to this island."  
  
"Yeah, that's good. Can't duel right now though, I'm in a hurry!" Sora shouted back as he ran up the steps of the small dock, the sun getting closer to the horizon. As he turned to go up onto the rocky paths, another voice interrupted his search.  
  
"Hey, what're you up to?" the brunette, Selphie, asked before he could get away. "I should send Tidus and Wakka to check up on you guys."  
  
"Nothing, Selphie, I'm just looking for something," Sora replied.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Some wood strips, we're building something."  
  
"Oh, well, I saw some wood over by the old shack, beside the spring. What're you building anyway?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"Oh, nothing," he said nervously. The others had told him not to tell anyone about the raft, otherwise the parents might find out, and keep them from going along with their plan.  
  
"Fine, don't tell me. I'll find out some other way," she said, annoyed, and walked back to the other end of the dock and sat down, hanging her legs off the edge.  
  
Sora turned and fled up the ladder to the small, fenced area up above. He remembered seeing some rope strapped to the side of the railing the last time he had been up here, besides his dream. When he reached the space shadowed by the huge tree above, he saw the blond Tidus in a corner practicing his swings with the small pole he used when he battled.  
  
Sora snuck past him, hoping not to be caught by, yet, another person, and grabbed the rope. He dragged the small line back to the ladder and climbed back down to the ground, Tidus never noticing him. Sora smiled, one thing found, now to find some cloth. He wrapped the rope around his shoulder and looked ahead of him.  
  
The stairs opposite of him led up to the high tower, where the children had stored things they found, they also used it for when there was a storm before they could paddle home in their miniature boats. He went up the stairs and to the wooden path that led to a smaller ladder that took him to the top level where the tower room was.   
  
He looked into the small room where he saw piles of seashells ranging from unique shapes to the usual shells that were all over the beach. They were nothing special, they had only gathered them their because they might want to keep them. Beside the seashells was a cloth that he remembered finding on the shore of a beach once when he had arrived in the morning time. It had long since dried and it had lost its color, making it a dull white.  
  
He ran over to the cloth, grabbed it from the line it was hanging on, stuffed it halfway into his pocket, and ran down the tower path, saving time by jumping to the ground below from the first wooden level. He ran across the rocks that made up the floor around the spring to the spring itself.  
  
Selphie hadn't been lying when she said that there was wood here. There were five pieces of the brown strips, one having fallen in the spring water and was soaked. He stacked the pieces of wood into his arms and carried them down the wooden ramp that led to the shore, around the old shack, under the bridge, and back to Kairi, who had been cleaning her nails.  
  
She smiled gleefully up at him. "So, you actually found everything? That's a suprise," she said with a giggled. "Here, I found this the other day, it's a present for helping to find all the supplies we needed," she said, handing a small bottle that held some bright green liquid inside and had a cork covering the opening. "It's a healing herb or potion. You can use it during one of your 'duels' to keep your health up."  
  
"Tired? Want to call it a day?" she asked after noticing that the sun was beginning to set and was glowing a bright orange, just as it always did.   
  
"Yeah, let's go home," Sora replied with a small yawn.  
  
"Okay. It is getting late. We'll finish up the raft tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah! Let's go get Riku, he's probably still staring out at the ocean like he always does," he said, referring to the silver haired boy from earlier.  
  
"Okay," she said, and began to walk towards the old shack, Sora quickly following. They opened the door, climbed the stairs, and out the exit leading to the Paopu Tree. They passed the two coconut trees and marched across the bridge.   
  
The Paopu Tree was a tree that grew Paopu fruit, which were fruit that were shaped like large yellow stars, on its branches. It had dark green leaves and a large grey trunk. It hung off the edge over the over the ocean below.  
  
Riku, hearing their footsteps, turned around in his seat on the Paopu Tree's trunk to look at them. Seeing them, he jumped from the small tree and landed in front of them. "Is it time to go home already?" he questioned them.  
  
"Yeah," Sora answered.  
  
"We need rest if were going to build the rest of the raft tomorrow," Kairi mentioned.  
  
"Okay, well, let's sit here for a little while. I'm not quite ready to go home just yet," Riku said, and walked around to the edge of the Paopu Tree and leaned against it, folding his arms and staring out at the horizon again while also crossing his legs.  
  
Complying, Kairi walked around Riku and took a seat next to his standing form on the tree. Sora, not wanting to be left out, climbed onto the tree next to Kairi, his legs spread wide and his hands between his legs holding himself up.  
  
Wanting to make conversation, Sora said the first thing that came to his mind. "So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" he questioned Riku. Kairi, who had turned to look at him when he had begun to speak, turned her head back to look out at the ocean.   
  
"Could be. We'll never know by staying here," the older boy replied, Kairi now looking at him.   
  
"But how far could a raft take us?"  
  
"Who knows?" he said, unfolding his hands to give a waving gesture of unknowing and then wrapped them around each other again. "If we have to, we'll think of something else."  
  
"So, suppose you get to another world," Kairi interjected, giggling. "What would you do there?"  
  
"Well, I haven't really though about it. It's just.... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this? And suppose there are other worlds. Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?" he said, finally turning to look back at the two of them.  
  
"I don't know," Sora replied, swinging his left leg over the other side of the Paopu Tree and laying back on his arms.  
  
"Exactly," Riku began, unfolding his arms and letting them hang at his sides. "That's why we need to go out there and find out," he continued, uncrossing his legs so that he could walk forwards slightly. "Just sitting here want change a thing," he said as Kairi shook her head in disbelief. "It's the same old stuff," he added as Sora turned his head to look out at the setting sun. "So, let's go," Riku ended, looking back to the two of them.  
  
"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you," Kairi asked him.  
  
"Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would have never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks," he replied, Sora casually glancing at him as he talked but returning his gaze to the horizon line.   
  
"You're welcome," she said, with another giggle, and began to climb off the Paopu Tree. She started back for the old shack. "Well, are you two coming, or not?" she asked, looking back at the two of them with a smile.  
  
Sora pulled himself from the Paopu Tree and retreated after Kairi. Once she had gone through the door leading down to the shore, Riku called, "Sora."  
  
Sora stopped and turned, just in time to catch a large, yellow star being thrown at him. "You wanted one, didn't you?" he asked, pointing to the fruit with one hand on his hip.  
  
"A Paopu fruit..." Sora said, solemnly  
  
"If two people share one, there destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. Come on, I know you want to try it," the older boy told him while stalking past and waving over his shoulder.  
  
"What are you talking-" Sora began, but was interrupted by Riku's gleeful laugh. He gave the Paopu one last glance before throwing the fruit into the salt water below. He ran to catch up for the others who were all heading for the dock.  
  
By the time he had reached the dock, Kairi was already paddling away, close by Selphie as they chatted. Tidus and Wakka were a little ahead of the pair and was also discussing something he couldn't here from the distance. Riku wasn't far behind Kairi and Selphie, but he paddled faster than the others, leaving Sora the only person left standing on the island.   
  
He jumped into his small, wooden boat, not caring how much water splashed. Took his two paddles and began to push the water with each paddle and was soon heading to his home on the other island.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hello, again. I think I did a better job on this chapter than the last because there was dialogue. Well there's Day 1. The next part of Destiny Islands is the last and then it's off to Traverse Town. Oh, and Platinum Shadow, I'm sorry for copying your title, I haven't read any of the fanfics for a while, I just started this one.  
  
Until then!;) 


	4. Night of Dissension

Kingdom Hearts - Destiny Islands - Day 2  
  
by Chaos0110  
  
Author's Note:   
  
Hello, I've wrote all the first three chapters in one day now. I edited each one. Usually, I never write this much unless I have to, but I'm feeling spunky. I hope you like this last chapter for Destiny Islands. I think that's why I'm writing so much, I want to get to the part where I add in stuff that wasn't in the game.   
  
On with the next chapter! ^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sora rowed the little boat as fast as he could to the kid's island. As soon as he had tied his boat to one of the dock's posts, he jumped to the dock where Selphie, in her usual yellow dress that ended below her hips, watched him intently.  
  
"Slept in late again, huh Sora?" she asked, knowingly. He nodded to her and she gave him a malicious smile. "How will you, Riku and Kairi ever get finished with the raft if you're always sleeping on the job."  
  
He looked at her, aghast. "Who told you?"  
  
"Kairi, she told me yesterday as we rowed home, but made me promise not to tell. Didn't I tell you that noone can keep anything from me," she said smugly to him.  
  
"If you know so much, where are Riku and Kairi now?"  
  
"On the other side of the island, building the raft, of course. They couldn't do it on this side of the island because someone else might find out."  
  
"Why should it matter? If you know, then all of the people living on the islands will know by tonight," he told her as her face grew red with anger.  
  
"I can keep a secret!" she shouted, and stomped off towards the old shack where she threw the door open and then slammed it once she was inside.  
  
He smiled, she was funny when she got angry because she would always go hide while she pouted. 'Kairi's going to be mad too,' he told himself, and started off towards the door to the other side of the island. He pushed the door open once he had reached it.  
  
He walked through to see that Riku was standing on the rocks on the edge of the area that was held up by wooden boards. The only way to get farther along the island was to climb or jump across the wooden platforms next to the entrance, but you could go through the water too, if you didn't mind getting a little wet.  
  
Upon hearing the door creak open, Riku had walked towards the opening door, where Sora now stood. "So, you finally woke up and decided to come help did you? Well, I've done built the raft by myself. But the raft still needs a name. Let's see... How about Highwind? What would you call it?" he asked.  
  
"Uh... Excalibur!"  
  
"Hey, how 'bout....," Riku began.  
  
"The usual?" Sora placed for him.  
  
"Yeah, let's do it."  
  
"You guys at it again?" a voice behind Sora asked. He turned to see Kairi standing on one of the wooden platforms that led to the end of the island. "All right, I'll be the judge."  
  
"The usual rules apply: Take any route you want.... First one to tag the tree with the Paopu fruit on it and make it back here wins," she ordered.  
  
Sora turned to Riku after Kairi had listed the rules that were made so very long ago. "If I win, I'm captain! And if you win...," Sora said, making a gesture with his hand to indicate that he was talking about Riku.   
  
"I get to share the Paopu with Kairi," he finished for Sora.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Deal? The winner gets to share a Paopu with Kairi," Riku said, turning to look at Sora just as Kairi approached to referee the race.  
  
"Wha... Wait a minute..."  
  
"Okay! On my count:" Kairi began before Sora could reply. She raised her hand in the air with a small smile.  
  
"1, 2, 3, Go!" she shouted, her arm slicing down through the air as she finished.  
  
Riku shot off towards the platforms that led to the watch tower. Sora took a different route. He jumped down to the water, soaking himself and took off towards the steps that led to the same area that the platforms did. He heard a creak from Riku's direction and turned to see what was happening. Riku had stepped on the end of a platform that had a weak link and it had fallen, Riku just barely making it to the next platform without falling himself.  
  
Sora reached the sand and marched up a pair of stairs that led to the watch tower, but Sora didn't head that way, he knew Riku always went that direction. So he went beside the watch tower, and jumped to the ground below where the newly forged raft that they had planned was docked in the sand so that the water couldn't carry it off, its white sail billowing in the breeze.  
  
He passed the raft and the many coconut trees that grew in the area and climbed up the ramp that led to several grassy platforms that took you to the tree with the Paopu. Riku always used the watch tower to get there quicker by sliding down a wire that was hooked to a pole that was placed in the middle of the coconut trees where he could land on a wooden board. From there, he always jumped atop the coconut trees, found his way to the tree with the Paopu, tagged it, and used the coconut trees to make his way back beside the watch tower again.  
  
He might have won with the same strategy this time, except that he had to waste his time when the weak part of one of the wood platforms had caused him trouble.  
  
Sora jumped to the grassy ledges once he had reached the top of the ramp. He saw Riku jumping from the pole to one of the coconut trees and was heading his way. Sora jumped to the next ledge and the next until he was at the tree with the Paopu, where the second entrance to this part of the island was placed as well.  
  
He hit the Paopu and jumped across to the coconut tree nearest to him, with Riku watching scornfully. He jumped across the trees until he was beside the watch tower again, the only difference being that he was on the opposite side.  
  
He ran to the wood platforms and climbed onto the first, and then jumping across the others until he reached Kairi standing place, Riku not far behind.  
  
"For winning the race, I award you a stone that I found on the beach. It's very beautiful," Kairi said, handing him a light purple stone that he stuffed into his pocket.  
  
Sora done his usual jump in the air while shouting, "I won! That's one to zero!" as Kairi giggled at him.  
  
"Man, lighten up. It's just a name after all," he said, not repeating anything about Kairi or the Paopu fruit. Sora gave him his best glare, which didn't turn out to well, and followed Kairi as she retreated back to the raft.  
  
"So, Sora, since you weren't here to help build the raft you get to collect provisions for our trip!," she said as Sora groaned. "You can get a seagull egg, which I saw this morning, a few mushrooms, all the coconuts in about five trees, and as many fish as you can catch, since you're already soaking wet," she said to him. She was right, he had soaked himself with water when the race began.  
  
"Oh, and fill up these 6 bottles with drinking water," she finished, and reached down, picked up the six bottles and pushed them into his hands along with a large bag, to carry the other things in. "Good luck."  
  
He walked over to the palm trees, laid everything in his hands down and pulled the wooden sword he used for duels out of his pocket. He looked up to see that this tree only had three good coconuts. He banged the tree's trunk until all three had fell, and he stocked them into the bag Kairi had given him. He did the same with the next four trees, until he had gained all the coconuts he needed.  
  
He went to the exit that was beside the tree with the Paopu and carried his things through it, careful not to drop or break anything as he jumped down to the rocky paths below where he could see that Selphie had returned to her seat on the dock. He walked around the tower that he had found the cloth in the day before and hurried toward the spring to fill up all six bottles. Once he had placed the bottle caps back onto the now full bottles he looked to the shadowed doorway beside the spring.  
  
It was the Secret Place, although everyone knew about it. It was a cavern filled with rocks and brambles. The children used to scribble on the rock walls. He remembered seeing that mushrooms grew there too when he had scribbled something on the wall with Kairi when she had first arrived on the Islands.  
  
He left the bottles behind as he went into the Secret Place with the bag of coconuts, he would be coming back out anyway so that there was no point in taking them with him. He walked along the thin path into the largest area of the Secret Place. All the walls were covered with white scribbles with tree's roots sprouting from the walls and stretching out awkwardly so that they surrounded the boulders before plunging into the soil of the ground.   
  
He looked to the back of the tunnel where a door stood. He noticed it the first time him he had ventured in here, which was with Riku, and they had tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Beside the large, brown door, that was outlined with a golden yellow, was the picture that he and Kairi had scratched onto the wall of the cavern.  
  
They weren't very detailed, but you could tell who was who. As he stood there thinking about earlier, when Riku had talked about sharing a Paopu with Kairi, he felt that maybe he would want to share a Paopu with Kairi himself. He sat down, picked up a sharp edged rock and began to scratch a small star into the area between their two pictures. It was a Paopu that was held by the hand of Sora's picture to the picture of Kairi, as if he was truly sharing a Paopu with her.  
  
Behind him, he heard the rustling of someone's footsteps. He stood up and turned around to a figure cloaked in a brown cape, that completely covered the man's body, standing at the entrance. It had the symbol of a large heart that had curls at its end and had an X over the surface on his robes. The hole where his head should be was completely engulfed in darkness, giving no details of who it was under the cloak.  
  
"Wh-Who are you?" Sora asked nervously.  
  
"I've come to see the door to this world," a deep, sultry voice replied.  
  
"Huh?" Sora asked, confused.  
  
"This world has been connected."  
  
"Wh-What are you talking about?" Sora asked, still befuddled.  
  
"Tied to the darkness... soon to be completely eclipsed," the hooded man continued.  
  
"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this. Huh?" he asked, the man's words finally sinking in. "Wh-Where did you come from?"  
  
"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the hooded man responded, acting as if he hadn't heard a word the boy had uttered.  
  
"So, you're from another world!" Sora cried in amazement.  
  
"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little," was the man's reply to his outburst.   
  
"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll see. I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there!" Sora shouted, his anger rising.  
  
"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing," the man retorted.  
  
There was an airy moan in the cavern and Sora turned to the brown door, where the moan had originated and, when he turned back, the man, the heart, and the brown cloak were all gone.  
  
Sora stood staring at the blank wall where the man had once stood and wondered what he had mean't. But then his mind strayed back to Kairi and he remembered that he was supposed to be searching for provisions. He looked around the cave and found a patch of mushrooms growing together underneath a tree root. He uprooted the mushrooms, threw them into the bag and ran out of the cave to the safety of the sun's light.  
  
He wiped his brow, and picked up the bottles, heading down to the shore. He sat his things on the sand and looked out to the ocean. He'd have to wait until a school of fish were near to get enough to satisfy Kairi. He was lucky enough that he didn't have to stray to far before he saw a shadow moving in the water. He jumped at the spot as fast as he could before the fish noticed him and managed to catch five, and found a sixth sprawled on the shore, already dead.  
  
He looked up to the bridge as he passed and noticed a seagull flying out from one of the coconut trees. Where there was a seagull's nest, there were eggs. He raced up the stairs in the old shack and towards the tree he had seen the seagull leave. There was one large, oval egg stored in the nest. He hit the tree in the same manner as he had when he was getting coconuts, and the egg fell with him jumping up to catch it.  
  
He put it gently into the bag once he had walked back to shore. He collected the bag and bottles and carried it to the door just pass the bridge where Tidus was practicing for the day.  
  
He walked through the door, passed Riku, jumped across the platforms, by the watch tower and down to where Kairi leaned against the sail of the raft.  
  
He layed the provisions he had found or captured onto the wood of the raft. He looked up at Kairi who was concentrating on several seashells she was holding. "What're you doing?" he asked.  
  
She glanced at him quickly before focusing back on the shells again. "This? I'm making a necklace of thalassa shells. In the old days, sailors always wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure a safe voyage," she replied, and then stuffed the shells in to one of the pockets of her skirt.  
  
"Oh, thanks, Sora!" she said after looking through the provisions he had brought. "I found something for you today when I went to the tower on the other side of the island to get some thalassa shells," she said and pulled a small, black chain onto his neck. "It's a chain made for protection, it has an aura that surrounds you. It raises your defense against attacks. I figured you could use it more than I could, since I don't duel."  
  
"Thanks," he said, looking down at the chain that laid atop his other silver chain that had a three spiked crown.  
  
"So, you ready to go home?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, tomorrow's the big day. We should rest up!"  
  
They marched towards the entrance, where Riku stood, Sora wishing that he had had time that day to duel Tidus to see if he had got any better at it, but the sun was already beginning to set, and Selphie had began to row home last time he was on the shore. The others had probably left already anyway.   
  
When Riku saw them approach he started out the door. Kairi and Sora soon, right behind him. As the older boy climbed into his boat and quickly rowed away, Kairi stopped Sora at the dock.  
  
"Can I talk to you?" she asked.  
  
"Sure," he said and they walked to the edge of the dock and sat down.  
  
"You know, Riku has changed," she began.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well...," she sighed.  
  
"You okay?" he asked, concerned.  
  
"Sora, let's take the raft and go--just the two of us!" she shouted suddenly.  
  
"Huh?" he asked in suprise.  
  
"Just kidding," she giggled.  
  
"What's gotten in to you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi," he laughed.  
  
"Maybe...," she whispered sadly. "You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?" she asked, turning to face him.  
  
"Yeah, of course!"  
  
"That's good," she whispered once again. "Sora, don't ever change," she said, standing up beside Sora. "I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great."  
  
"Well, let's go home!" Sora said, jumping up to the smiling face of Kairi.  
  
They both untied their boats and rowed on home, close together, without speaking.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That night, in Sora's messy room, clothes strewn across the floor, where Sora though about Kairi's earlier words.   
  
'You know, Riku's changed. I know I can always come back here, right? Sora, don't ever change.' The words ran through his mind as he stared up to where a miniature model of a boat with two toy plushies, a boy and a girl, sat looking out over Sora's room.  
  
'I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great.'  
  
He smiled and turned to look out the window, where a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance.  
  
"A storm?" he asked himself. "Oh, no, the raft!" he shouted, and scrambled out his open window.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He jumped aboard the dock, having rowed as fast he could to the small island. He looked up in the sky where the source of the lightning floated in the air. It was a huge globe of darkness with bright orange shining outwards from its middle.  
  
"What's that?" he asked aloud. He looked down at the dock posts where two other boats were tied. "Riku's boat. And Kairi's," he recognized. Looking up, he stifled a shout as two dark shadows lifted out of the ground. They were shaped strangely like ants and their glowing yellow eyes turned to him.  
  
The creatures from his dream. No, it couldn't have been a dream, it was real. As the creatures lurched at him, he held up his wooden sword to hit it, but the creatures phased through the sword as if it wasn't there and knocked him over.  
  
He pulled himself up and took off to the old shack. In the shack, a circle of light had appeared on the floor beside the steps. It was the same as in his dream. He looked up the stairway and decided to go for the place Riku would most likely be.  
  
Upon opening the door, more creatures appeared outside. He looked ahead of them and saw Riku standing next to the Paopu Tree. He rushed across the bridge, through the shadows, to where Riku stood.  
  
"Where's Kairi? I though she was with you!" Sora cried in urgency.   
  
"The door has opened...," Riku said, glancing at the orb floating in the sky.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The door has opened, Sora!" he shouted, turning around. "Now we can go to the outside world!"  
  
"What are you talking about? We gotta find Kairi!"  
  
"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku replied, Sora staring at him in confusion. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" he shouted to the sky. He turned to Sora and held out his hand as he did in Sora's dream.   
  
"Riku..." Sora said, frightened. With that said, a pool of darkness appeared below Riku's feet and it entangled itself around Riku's body. Sora rushed forward, careful not to step into the darkness, and reached, desparately, for Riku's gloved hand as the darkness grew stronger.  
  
With a flash of light that made Sora almost fall forwards, Riku was gone and in Sora's hands was a grand, shining key that was atop a yellow handle with a shaking chain that had mouse ears hung on it. He studied the key and looked to the orb in the sky. The mysterious voice from his dream chanting, "Keyblade," in his mind.  
  
Instantly, the ant-like creatures were upon him. They jumped, scratched, and kicked at him as he sliced through their bodies with his new weapon, the Keyblade. Once the creatures were gone, he looked across the bridge. He could see, in the distance, a glowing door where the entrance to the Secret Place should be.  
  
He ran across the bridge, jumped from the shack, and rushed up to the door. A large group of the shadow creatures appeared in front of the door, determined to keep him from entering it. He spinned through the group, his arm holding the Keyblade outwards enought to cut through the creatures heads.  
  
The creatures disappeared once again, and he saw that the door was the same as the one in his in dream. He touched the handles and the door opened itself. He rushed into the cavern, expecting to find only rocks and tree roots.   
  
He looked toward the brown door and there Kairi stood.  
  
"Kairi!" Hearing his voice she turned slowly, as if she was hurt or weak.  
  
"Sora...," she whispered, reaching out to him. Suddenly, the door behind Kairi flew open, darkness flowing through a through a strong wind. Sora held himself in place, but Kairi flew at him. He opened his arms to catch her, but just as she was in his arms, she was gone. The wind, gaining power, pushed him back out of the cave.  
  
As he landed on the sand of the island he opened his eyes, having closed them when the wind took him, and gasped. The islands were gone, everything was gone. The ocean, the fish, the people, the sand, the trees, the birds, everything. He looked out into the nothingness beyond the small ship of land he was perched on.  
  
He stood up, to see if there was anyone behind him who had also made it off the island and was startled to find the creature that had been his shadow in his dream was the only thing on the small scrape of land.   
  
He grasped the Keyblade in his hands and rushed forward to meet the creature, angry because of the loss of everything and everyone he loved all at once. He sliced at the creature's lowered arm. It was using the same strategy as in his dream.  
  
It fell to its knees and held its arms wide as it released dark purple globs that chased Sora down. He struck the globs so that they flew back at the creature. The creature stopped and then stood up and plunged its hand into the ground so that several ant-like creatures were released, while Sora continued to slice at the creature's wrists and head, if he got the chance.  
  
The creature lowered its body fully to the ground before plunging its arm deeper into the ground, which caused several ripples along the surface. Sora struck its lowered head, but the creature continued its action without taking notice of Sora. It produced a smaller version of the black orb that floated above, in the sky, out of the sand.  
  
Holding the orb, the creature stood up again. Sora, tired of fighting the impersonating shadow, threw the Keyblade up, so that it struck the creature in the face and returned back to Sora's feet. The creature glared down at him, but was sucked upwards into the surounding sand until it disappeared into the huge orb floating in the sky.  
  
Clutching a piece of driftwood that was stuck in the sand, Sora held himself to the ground until the wind pulled so hard that he was forced to let go and sent into the orb above, along with his deformed shadow.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okie, Dokie! Third chapter in one day! Well, I hope readers review on how good, or bad, my writing is. The next chapter is going to be more interesting, because I start addin' stuff in.  
  
Toodles! ^_^ 


	5. This Way or That Way?

Kingdom Hearts - Traverse Town - Day 1  
  
by Chaos0110  
  
Author's Note:   
  
Hello again!  
  
I'm so sorry for the two week long wait! I meant to get around to doing it last week, but I was being lazy because of Halloween and then Thanksgiving was coming. Now I have an 8 page report to do and then rewrite something I thought I was through with this weekend from my English and Art teachers, yeah I'm in Art, its boring(but easy).   
  
Well, I hope no one tries to kill me because of this, but I added a LOT of new Disney characters to Traverse Town, I mean a lot that weren't there before, several of you might think stupid but some from a movie that came out in 2002. Also, I've decided to start two side fanfics to this story, if you care. One is going to be called, "The Heartless Chapters" and the other will be "Princesses of Heart." They aren't really needed to be read to understand this story, but some of the changes in those fanfics reflect on the ones in this fanfic.  
  
Well, now on to the story!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sora awoke to a strange wetness being wiped across his right cheek. He raised his head from the resting position he had had it in and slowly opened his eyes. Looking to the left and right at the strange alley that was shadowed, only revealing several large crates and barrels standing about, the boy noticed the large yellow dog standing, awkwardly, in front of him.  
  
He had long, drooping ears that swayed as he breathed with his large, pink tongue hanging out of his mouth. He had a green collar wrapped around his neck and was sitting with his front legs inbetween his back legs, short, thin tail twitching from left to right. The large dog stared at him intently as Sora slowly took in his form.  
  
Sora closed his eyes again and let his head fall to his chest sleepily muttering, "What a dream..." He was woken almost immediately again as he felt large paws stamp him in the chest, taking his breath away only for a second before he regained consciousness  
  
"This isn't a dream!" Sora shouted, once again staring at the shaking dog in front of him. He slowly pushed himself up to get a better look of where he was, realization of what had happened to his island coming back to hit him in the face. "Where am I?" he asked himself, dog watching him still.   
  
He looked to his left where there were two signs, one with a large ship with the words "R. L. S. Legacy" written under it in yellow, were posted on a standing board of wood that ended the small alley. Then, looking to the right, where a crate and a wagon wheel were protruding from a broken part of the bricks in front of him, he said, exasperated, "Oh, boy."  
  
He looked down to the dog, his hands on his knees. "Do you know where we are?" he asked. He heard a shout in the distance and, raising his ear to the voice, the dog ran off. "Hey..." Sora reached for the retreating dog, not wanting to be left alone, as its swinging tail disappeared around the building behind him.  
  
Sora ran after the dog, passing the building above that was built on the bricks and turning passed the following building that had a small light hanging from its side. He walked out to a small stairs that circled downwards to the level below, taking a hold onto the railing and looking around the large area.  
  
There was a small light post to his left that had white-gloved hands pointing in all directions with the words north, west, south, and east written on them; each on their pointed direction. On the pavement below the light post and the top of the stairs where Sora stood was a narrow, red container with a black, bowler hat resting on top of it that had small patches all around its sides. It had a slot hanging open in the middle with big, white letters saying 'Mail' posted above the slot.   
  
To the left of the Mail container was a large door with two wooden strips nailed across it, forming an x, with a large post above reading 'Traverse Town' in bright lights. A man with a white shirt, green vest, and brown shorts stood guard in front of the large door, curly hair swaying back and forth. In a patch of white brick in the middle of the street, there were two light posts that glowed the brightest, small hedges wrapped around their bases. In the distance directly in front of him, Sora could see another door, without boards across it, that stated 'See You Soon!' in blue letters above.  
  
Sora noticed the large mansion to his right with a dark, brown door and white wood making up the house, several clear windows were on its front below the red shingled roof where smoke billowed from its chimney. Beside the mansion was a shop that was titled 'Items' and had a see-through door, a brown receptacle standing next to the miniature shop. Sora noticed that the door beside him led into the same building, creating a two-way entrance for the shop.  
  
"This is totally weird... I'm in another world!" Sora gasped to himself. Sora turned around to the direction he had run from and noticed another shop with two levels behind him. The first level being called 'Accessories', the second being 'Jewelry.' The two wooden doors that was its entrance had two small cut-out diamonds in their middles. He looked to the right of the building where another stairway led up and behind it.  
  
Sora decided to go into the shop, maybe he would get some answers from the owner about where he was and what happened to his island home. Sora pushed open the doors and stalked into the room ahead.  
  
The newly discovered room had a giant fireplace to Sora's right, which led up to the floor above. He noticed a small circle of glowing light like that of his dream to the right of the fireplace's front opening. There was a small, black table sitting in front of a couch that was similar in color and shape.  
  
In the middle of the room, stretched out beside the couch and table was a casket with legs and had glass for a top, displaying several expensive, glass items inside. In front of the display table was a tiny mark on the wooden floor. It was green and was in the shape of three stars. Opposite of him, Sora noticed a large window that was shadowed with blue. It also displayed buyable items inside; many boxs that seemed to be floating on miniature clouds, with tiny, five-pointed stars sparkling around them.  
  
There was a man with blond hair and tiny, prickling hairs spread across his chin behind the counter. He was wearing a white, button-up collar t-shirt with a thick, brown strap wrapped around his lower legs where his sweat pants began as blue and ended as grey, covering his black shoes. His back was turned to Sora as he stared at a large, shiny crystal inside a see-through container that was propped on the counter.  
  
The man began to turn at the sound of the creaking door. "Hey there, how can I..." Sora looked at him expectantly as two blue eyes took in his features, a small pick sticking out of the corner of the man's mouth. "Aw, it's only a kid," he grumbled.  
  
"I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora!" Sora shouted angrily, taking in the man's large goggles which were wrapped around his head.  
  
"Okay, okay, simmer down," the old man ordered. "So why the long face, Sora? You lost or somethin'?" he asked.  
  
"No!" Sora shouted instantly in anger, then remembered the street outside. "Well, maybe. Where are we?" he questioned the shop owner.  
  
"Huh?" the man replied, brow raised in confusion from Sora's words.  
  
"Well, I was on this island..." Sora began, briefly remembering his last moments on the shore. "When a storm came! There were these creatures that were black and had glowing eyes! And, when I found my friends, they both disappeared... I was blown onto this small piece of what was left of the island and had to fight this giant with a key that appeared. Then, I was sucked up into this orb thing in the sky, and I woke up here," Sora finished.  
  
The man narrowed his eyes at him. "Well, Sora, this is Traverse Town if you didn't already know," he said matter-of-factly to Sora.  
  
"Traverse Town..." Sora uttered under his breath, thinking to himself. " So, gramps," Sora began, not knowing what he should call the older man. "Is this really another world?"  
  
"Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid!" Cid cried angrily. "Anyway...," he continued. Not sure what you're talkin' about, but this sure ain't your island.  
  
"Hmm... Guess I'd better start looking for Riku and Kairi," Sora said to himself.  
  
"Well, good luck with whatever it is your doing. If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I'll look out for you," Cid finished, swiping his brow with his left hand.   
  
"Thanks," Sora said. He turned back to the doorway where, suprisingly, someone pushed the doors open. A short, but old, duck waddled inside.  
  
The elderly duck had sparkling spectacles on the edge of his beak, his beady eyes peering through them. He had a bowler hat that had a red strap at its base wrapped around it. Over his upper body he wore a blue suit with his collar, sleeves and belt being red and yellow buttons holding his collar together. His webbed feet having red coverings that went up to his knees.  
  
His cane was pointed directly into Sora's face. "You! How dare you come freely into my town! You should know that every resident or visitor must pay a toll to pass the gates!" the furious duck shouted, bowler hat tempting to fall off his feathered head.  
  
"Wha-! Who are you?!" Sora replied, completely suprised by the duck's outburst. Not to mention the fact that it was a civilized, talking and standing duck that accused him. He thought that animals were only civilized in fairy tales...  
  
"Me?! I'm Scrooge McDuck, as if you didn't know that, you thief!" Scrooge replied angrily, hitting him on top of his spiked head. "Now! You come with me you, you... Bag me bagpipes!" he shouted in suprise, finally taking notice of the large, silver key hanging limp in Sora's right hand.  
  
"Where'd you get that, boy?" he said, his hands taking hold of his spectacles as he squinted at the key, making sure what he was seeing was real.  
  
"What? This thing? I found it a little while ago," Sora stated, turning to look at the majestic key himself.  
  
"Well, how do you like that? Here me nephew went off into the dangerous districts to look for you and here you are," Scrooge smiled, now leaning on his cane.  
  
"Looking for me?"  
  
"Yes sir. Sure was in a big hurry. It isn't often that he comes to this here town, he doesn't like paying for the ship space that I supply at the dock," Scrooge laughed gleefully. Then he went stern again. "Hm! Hm!" Scrooge coughed, clearing his throat as to get attention. "Back to the bill. How did you get into the town without paying? I thought I had sufficient security and then you suddenly appear out of nowhere," Scrooge glared.  
  
"I didn't come in... I woke up here... In the alley..." Sora replied.  
  
"What!?" Scrooge cried, eyes wide. "Funny, boy! Think you can fool Scrooge McDuck eh? Well, you have another thing coming. Just 'cause you have that key doesn't mean I'm going to be easy on ya!" Scrooge said, stepping beside Sora and wrapping his cane around the boy's back to get a hold on him.  
  
He used the cane to force Sora forward, past the cabinet beside the counter and out the door, leaving a befundled Cid behind. He tugged Sora down the thick steps and towards the mansion.  
  
"Me three other nephews that own the Items shop there beside me mansion saw you going into Cid's Accessory Shop. Well, I couldn't let you get a free pass into the town, now could I?" Scrooge told him as they pushed the large door open.  
  
Inside is a tall dog-like man in a butler suit. He stood, arms behind his back, in front of a long, curving stair that was covered with a long red rug, with vases, portraits and plants assembled around the rest of the enormous room. The room was bright with the light of four orbs hung as light-bulbs on a dangling chandelier above.  
  
"Scrooge, sir, Launchpad is at the dock awaiting you. He finally repaired his ship so that he can take you to the meeting in Duckburg," the elderly butler rang out in his nasal voice.  
  
"Good. It's been three months since that bafoon crashed the ship! He should learn to land better. Cost me a fortune to repair the dock after that crash landing!" Scrooge replied, swiping his cane in front of himself angrily.  
  
"And, is this a guest, sir?" the butler questioned, taking notice of Sora's presence.  
  
"Yes, yes! I found him in Cid's Acessory Shop, wondered how he got through the gates. Brought him home to make sure he didn't get away without paying," Scrooge answered, his voice raising happily at the end of his sentence.  
  
"Take him to the living room and tell Ms. Beakly to serve him whatever he likes, and to make sure he doesn't leave. Then meet me at the dock, Port 34," Scrooge said properly, wiping smudges from his glasses. "I have to postpone my flight to the meeting with 'Duckburg Daily News' until tomorrow," Scrooge finished, turning around to be once again on the streets.  
  
The butler turned to him. "Right this way, sir," he said, directing him through the wooden doors beside the stairs.  
  
Sora nodded and walked forward, turning the knob and pushing the door open. The living room had several green chairs, two brown tables laden with lamps and other possesions and a fireplace with a picture of Scrooge hung on the wall above, the room also brightened with a chandelier.   
  
A large duck maid wearing a large purple dress, a white apron, leather boots and pins keeping her tangled hair in a bun was dusting the fireplace's ledge, lifting pictures and trophies every so often to clean only the wood.  
  
"Wow," Sora said to himself, seeing how enormous Scrooge's mansion really was. The maid turned to him, stairing through glass spectacles.  
  
"And, who is this?" the maid asked in her cheerful voice.  
  
"A guest of the master's. Ms. Beakly, Mr. McDuck asks if you could serve his guest. I must meet him at the dock. Oh, and the master asks if you could keep an eye on the young sir to keep him here," the butler said quickly, instantly taking off for the front entrance.  
  
"And what is your name, young sir?" she asked, setting her feather duster onto the table closest to the fireplace.  
  
"I'm Sora," he replied nervously, not used to being called sir.  
  
"Well, Sora, what would you like?"  
  
"Food?" She nodded, beaming. "Uh... Fish, maybe?" he asked, encouraged.  
  
"Right away, Sora," she told him and rushed out into the hall beside the stairs, closing the doors behind her. Sora looked around the room.  
  
'Scrooge must be really rich to be able to own this mansion. This one room is bigger than my whole house back at...' Sora thought to himself, suddenly going chilled.  
  
He noticed a plaque on one of the tables by a green chair. He walked over, picked up the pillow that had been resting in the seat, sat down in the chair, which was quite comfy, and took a hold on the gold plaque, bringing up to his eyes.  
  
Imprinted into the gold was a picture of Scrooge and below it read 'Scrooge McDuck, richest duck in all the universe. The Mayor of Traverse Town.'  
  
So that's why Scrooge cared so much about Sora not paying for placement in the town, he was the mayor.  
  
He sat the plaque down onto the table, picking up a small journal beside it. It was titled, 'Port Schedules.' He opened it in boredom.   
  
'Port 45(scheduled the 17th to the 31st) - R. L. S. Legacy.   
  
Payment: $300 total  
  
Due: 30th'  
  
A slip read in scribbled black ink. He read that name earlier on a poster. Hmm, this 'R. L. S. Legacy' voyage must be popular.  
  
"I said no!" came a loud shout from outside the doors of the living room. It was Scrooge, he must've come back. "I told you no, now get out!"  
  
"Scrooge, I need to see the boy you met earlier. It's of most importance," came a deep, echoing reply.  
  
"Sorry, but the boy hasn't paid his fee yet, so he can't leave!"  
  
"Here's your money, twenty dollars is the price, isn't it?" the voice sounded. "Now, where's the boy?"  
  
"Fine! He's in here!" Scrooge answered, and the doors behind Sora's armchair burst open.  
  
A tall, muscular man with dark hair that glistened over his shoulders appeared in the doorway. He narrowed his blue eyes upon seeing him. The man wore mostly black, with a white shirt covered mostly by his black jacket. Here and there along the man's pants, shoes, arms, gloves and jacket were zippers and belts with silver buckles. The chain around his neck took the shape of a silver lion's head.  
  
"Come. I can answer your questions," he said dully in a deep voice, turning to walk back to Scrooge's front doors. Sora jumped up almost immediately. He was finally going to get some answers.  
  
"Hey! What's your name?!" Sora shouted as he ran to follow the form of the two burgundy lion heads on the man's jacket.  
  
The man stopped to briefly glance backwards and utter, "Leon," before stalking off towards the stairs outside the front door.  
  
"I'll be watching you," Scrooge's aged voice rang out as Sora was poked in the chest with the hard piece of rounded wood that was Scrooge's cane. Sora looked at him in suprise, almost forgetting about Scrooge bringing him to the mansion. He shrugged and continued out, vaguely hearing Ms. Beakly's voice sqawking, "Aren't you forgetting your food!?"  
  
Finally catching up with the older man, Sora slowed to catch his breath at the top of the second stairs beside Cid's shop.  
  
"So... How did you even know I was here?" Sora asked Leon, finally realizing he hadn't seen the dark man in the streets.  
  
"Well, I didn't. I just guessed. Me, Yuffie and Aerith only just started searching for you in Traverse Town when the Heartless began acting strange," Leon answered silently glancing at the Keyblade, which Sora hadn't realized he was even holding.  
  
"Heartless?" Sora asked, not understanding what Leon was referring to.  
  
"You don't know what they are yet?" Leon asked in disbelief, stopping to look Sora in the eye.  
  
"Uh... No," Sora answered. What was so important about something called 'Heartless.'  
  
"Well, we'll tell you just as soon as we reach the hotel," Leon finished, becoming completely silent, not even shuffling his legs as he walked.  
  
"Where is the hotel?" Sora asked.  
  
"In the Second District, to the left."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
They walked by the various light posts of the District, which Sora assumed was the First District, until they came to a pair of enormous wooden doors behind the Accessory Shop, passing an opening with several poles holding up a roof that covered another mailbox, blue in color.  
  
Leon pushed the doors open simultaneously upon reaching them within arms-length. Sora followed as Leon turned to the left parallel to several shops and restaraunts including 'Boots & Shoes,' 'Dress & Suit,' 'Luggage' and 'Glory Hall,' all with glowing open signs, see-through windows and very few shoppers and workers. Then again, all the streets were empty, with a perfect view of rocky, blue gravel.   
  
At the end of the District was a large white building with a clocktower, a bell which had been covered with wood planks and mosaic windows, all of which were painted with depressing, dark colors.  
  
As they traveled farther to the left, Sora saw a long row of windows and a bright, blue sign with yellow letters glowing 'Hotel.'  
  
"Here we are," Leon said with a blank an emotionless expression.  
  
He passed a final light post, which were attached everywhere to the railing of the upper level,which was situated above the deserted streets. Sora followed Leon into the, once again, deserted hallway of the hotel. There were ten doors with a pair of stairs at the end of the floorboard at the opposite side of the hallway.  
  
They could here shouting from the closed door beside the other entrance. Suddenly, the door blew open and a boy of about fifteen with brown banes and a pony tail draping over his neck and forehead emerged.  
  
"You can't stop me from this! This is the greastest thing I've ever had the chance to do in all of my life! I'm going on this adventure to find Captain Flint's treasure on Treasure Planet whether you like it or not!"   
  
The boy took off down the hall toward the two of them, big, blue eyes narrowed in fury as his green pants and black, yellow-lined, shoes carried him out the door they had entered. In his hand was a small, golden sphere.  
  
"James Pleiades Hawkins! Come back here!" a woman shouted, unveiling herself from the blue-doored room as well. She had a large fluffy white hat covering her long hair, which was tied with a blue ribbon into a tight bun, her eyes as blue as the fleeing boy's. She was dressed with a maid's outfit; white apron, long, yellow dress, overlarge white sleeves connected with a burgundy shirt. Swaying from her neck, a golden pendant.  
  
"Oh... I don't know what to do with him," she sighed to someone else inside the hotel room.  
  
"He'll be alright Sarah. Don't you worry, I'll go along to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble," someone replied. A dog-like person carried himself out into the hallway, dressed fully in a green and white buisness suit, tie and all. He had large, clear glasses and presented himself royally, even though his skin was grey.  
  
He took the woman's hand in his and patted it, smiling his canines to her. "See you soon, hopefully," the man said, walking Sora's way to the entrance.  
  
"Yes Delbert. Hopefully...," the woman replied, waving to the dog man, blue eyes downcast sleepily.  
  
"Good day," the dog man said to them, nodding as he retreated from the hotel. The woman walked back into her room, shutting the door quietly.  
  
"What was all that about? Treasure Planet?" Sora asked Leon.  
  
"Whatever it is, it isn't our business. Unless they tell us themselves. Come on," Leon replied, beginning to walk to a green door. He pushed the door open.   
  
Inside was a room with a small, yellow bed for one with a single repeating symbol in green printed on the comforter, the colors matching the flannel wallpaper. A circular table close to the door had several cups and plates set on its surface.  
  
Sitting on the covers of the bed was a young, petite teenager with a green headband underneath her short, black hair. She had a yellow scarf around her neck and a small green shirt that was strapped to her shoulders, with her shorts, pantyhose and shoes a light tint of yellow. Her arms were covered with net-like fabric and orange gloves that revealed the tips of her fingers.  
  
She was looking lazily at her nails and tapping her foot until she met their gaze.  
  
"Oh, Squall! You found him! You didn't have to be rough like usual, did you?" the innocent women asked energetically. "You know, one of these days, that's going to get you in trouble," she added with a bright smile.  
  
"It's Leon," Leon replied menacingly.  
  
"And, what's your name?" she asked Sora, unfazed.  
  
"Sora."  
  
"I'm the great ninja, Yuffie!" Yuffie cried ecstaticly, smirking.  
  
"Anyway, we should go ahead and answer some of your questions and fill you in on other things you didn't know," Leon announced, taking a place against another doorway to Sora's right that had a green clock above it.  
  
"Yeah! About how I got here and where my friends are? And about this Keyblade and those creatures, the Heartless, you were talking about earlier," Sora said looking to Leon in question.  
  
"Okay, about how you got here. Let me guess, there were strange, black creatures all over your home before you appeared here," Leon said, nonchalantly.  
  
"Well, yeah. There were..."  
  
"Then your world must've been taken by the Heartless."  
  
"My world? The Heartless?" Sora asked, puzzled once again.  
  
Leon sighed, folding his muscular arms. "Don't tell me that you've never thought of other places outside your home, other worlds?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, you were right, there are other worlds. There are many worlds. And you're world, like many before yours, was taken by the Heartless.  
  
"The Heartless," Leon continued. "Are creatures without hearts."  
  
"The darkness in people's hearts--that's what attracts them," Yuffie entered.  
  
"And there is darkness in every heart."  
  
"Have you ever heard of someone called Ansem?" Yuffie asked him suddenly.  
  
"Ansem?"  
  
"Yeah, he was researching the Heartless."  
  
"He wrote down all his discoveries in a report, but its pages are scattered everywhere, now," Leon cut in.   
  
"We know for sure that it says something about the Keyblade being the end to the Heartless," Yuffie stated.  
  
"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming after you. No matter what," Leon finished.  
  
"I didn't ask for this," Sora said, unable to believe that he held the only weapon that an enemy that could kill anyone feared.  
  
"The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you," Yuffie said.  
  
"So, tough luck," Leon shrugged.  
  
"But, now what?" Sora asked.  
  
"We need to prepare. Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you. So you'll need to fight for your life," Leon stated.  
  
"Leon!" Yuffie cried from her place on the bed, jumping up seconds later. She was pointing to a spot beside the wooden table.  
  
Sora looked to what could've distracted her. Out of thin air, a purple bubble appeared and dropped an awkward creature onto the floor. It had blue coating with glowing yellow eyes gleaming out of darkness inside a silver helmet. It had sandal-like shoes, which curled upwards at the ends. On its chest was a black heart outlined in red that curled at the edges. It had an X over the heart, the same symbol on the mysterious, hooded man Sora had met on the Islands.  
  
"Yuffie, GO!" Leon roared as the creature began doing a small dance with it's sharp armor.  
  
Yuffie sped to the door which Leon had lifted himself from. Throwing it open, she left the two of them far behind. Sora could have swore he had heard a 'Quack!' as Yuffie threw the door open. And knew he had heard a female voice shouting, "Yuffie!" in concern.  
  
"Sora, let's go!" Leon bellowed, bringing Sora back to his senses. Sora noticed, as they dashed for the door opposite the one Sora had entered and Yuffie had exited, that Leon seemed to have acquired a long, shining silver blade that had a chain with a lion's head connected to its ebon handle.  
  
They burst through the doorway, almost tearing the door off its hinges in the process, to a balcony, which they soon were tumbling over to the black, brick walkways below, the creature following as more of its kind appeared across the ground.  
  
As they reached the ground, Leon sliced the creature through the stomach, watching as it dissolved into green balls and money.  
  
"Don't bother with the small fry," Leon began, slicing through another soldier as it flung itself toward him. "Find the leader. Let's go!" he finished, taking off to the blue and golden-lined doors to their right.  
  
Sora followed, using his Keyblade to fend off the creatures as he passed a small stream to the doors. Upon going through the doors, Sora was once again in the Second District. Now, black creatures identical to those of his island battle and the other creatures, which recently attacked him, lined the railings and streets. Several people could be heard crying out as they ran for the First District, which was the only safe place.  
  
He watched as a man stumbled in front of Leon and fell to the ground. Before either of them could react. A small, circular bubble appeared. Inside the sphere was a heart shape. The warrior creature, who had been chasing and attacking the man, scrambled forward to swallow the heart. Its light disappearing into the shadow of the soldier's helmet.  
  
"No!" Leon cried furiously, slashing the Heartless so hard, its remains were sent to the fountain in the middle of the district that displayed a painting of a butterfly.  
  
"Sora, I'm sorry, but I have to stay here to help Traverse Town's residents! Go to the Third District, down that alley! You should find Yuffie there!" Leon ordered, pointing to a dimly lit pathway between resturant 'Glory Hall' and the 'Luggage' store, which both were above him behind the separate, short railings.  
  
He ran down the alley, turning to the right once he reached a wall, and came to a red door with the words above it, 'Third District,' writtin in yellow. He ran through the one-door entrance to the marble crosspatched flooring of the Third District. Over the purple blue railing was a small square space.  
  
Down close to a large, wooden door like the ones from the First District was Yuffie and another woman. The woman had long, brown hair that was braided and held by a big, pink bow. She had a pink dress, which didn't cover her large boots, held tight with a loose, purple belt.  
  
"Yuffie!" Sora shouted over the railing.  
  
The two women looked up and smiled with relief.  
  
"Come on down!" Yuffie replied, waving her gloved hands in her direction, indicating that Sora come meet her.  
  
He turned to the stairs, which was across from a diminutive house with darkened windows. When he had reached Yuffie's level of ground, he came around the large wall, which was substituted as railing.  
  
In the middle of the Third District was a glowing statue of two dogs kissing. The pathways behind the walls that supplied the statue's yellow background led up to a large white bin. It towered over the three humans, letting them see the golden $ money mark on its front.  
  
"Good, you're okay," Yuffie smiled. "Leon told us that this might happen, so we made a Rescue Plan to get you to the First District. Going through this door leads you to the First District," Yuffie stated, pointing to the colossal, wooden gateway.  
  
Behind the two women, a whole family of duck people entered. Ms. Beakly, Duckworth and a duck with goggles and a scarf was following behind Scrooge and four duck children; one in pink with a bow, one in red, one in green and one in blue.  
  
"But, Uncle Scrooge!" the smallest duck in pink cried in anguish, tears streaming down her pudgy, white face.  
  
"No buts! You're more important than your dolls. Now, all of you! To me money bin!" Scrooge commanded, stopping to point to the large tower as everyone marched by, him following up the end.  
  
As the ducks stepped up the pathway to the money bin, there were shouts. Sora was then suddenly knocked to the ground. Two anonymous people atop him sighed, as did he. He heard the two people above him rasp, "The key!" before the ground began to shake. Yuffie fell to the ground several feet towards the overcasting door where the woman in pink stood, swaying herself.  
  
Sora looked up as several squares of the floor rose up, blocking any exit to safety for Sora and the two companions laying on top of him. He watched as Yuffie jumped up, reaching for Sora as the rising stones trapped her outside.  
  
The Heartless soldiers were standing on the blocks, dancing their hypnotic dance. He stood up as his two comrades climbed off of him. He saw that they were people-like animals too.   
  
One was a short duck that was covered in blue zippers, pockets and a hat. He held a staff in his feathered hand that had a brown handle, a blue cover that arched forward and then up with a brown pilgrim's hat covering a dark, orange orb.  
  
The other was a tall dog man who had an oval, black nose with buck teeth. He wore a yellow hat, black jacket, green sweater, yellow pants and brown flats. He had a silver and grey, round shield with black mouse ears strapped to his gloved hands.  
  
"Hey, kid!" the duck shouted to him.  
  
"Yeah!?"  
  
"What's your name!?" the duck squawked.  
  
"Sora!"  
  
"My name's Donald and he's Goofy!" Donald said, ending his words by pointing to the dog man.  
  
"So, Sora, do you think we should wipe these Heartless fellers out!?" Goofy shouted in his dazed voice.  
  
"Yeah, definitely!" he replied, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Gawrsh, that could take a while. Look!" he stated, pointing to the surrounding Heartless menace. They had multiplied from five by four. All twenty glared at the Keyblade.  
  
"But, we can do it, uh-yuck!" he finished, then rushed forward with closed eyes, shield held out. He knocked the Heartless, that were too stupid to move, down like dominoes.  
  
Donald rushed forward to help his companion as the soldiers began clanking their sharp armor against him, so that he got scratched along his wrists, which were the only skin he showed, except for his face.  
  
He jumped into the fray as the dark creatures hit Donald in the beak, causing a sharp quack to pierce the air. He spinned around so that every Heartless hit was thrown back.  
  
"Thanks," Donald quickly replied, once Sora had sliced through a Heartless that had been constantly keeping him from attacking. He held his staff out, shouted, "Fire!" and his staff glowed orange for merely a second before the hat at its top propped open for a blazing ball of inferno to be released from the orb inside.  
  
"Cool," Sora said to himself before chasing down another soldier as it twirled its cutting arm towards Goofy once again.  
  
As Sora sliced through another soldier, he was hit in the back and then in the face following. He felt himself fall to the ground from the fresh cut across his cheek, red crimson staining the floor as his blood dripped.  
  
"Sora, take this!" Goofy shouted, throwing him a small, green-filled bottle. "It's a herb, take it to help your cu--Aaahhh!" Goofy cried, as he was kicked in the face, leaving a red print.  
  
As Sora scrambled for safe space to open the bottle, Donald fired Fire spells several times to keep the Heartless at bay. Upon swallowing the potion, Sora's cut sealed itself, disappearing as if it had never existed.  
  
He ran to Donald's aid as he was ganged up on by five Heartless. He sliced through one, but was tripped to the ground by another and then jumped on by the following two.  
  
Sora pushed them hastily off him. "Why don't you just use more fire balls?" Sora asked, constantly moving and attacking the few Heartless that were left.  
  
"I can only do so many spells before I run out of the energy to charge them. I have to attack to get more energy for my staff, or use an ether," Donald replied, hitting a Heartless hard on the head. Goofy rushed over to hand Donald a potion, Donald taking it greedily.  
  
After they had destroyed the last of the group, more cash and health balls filled the floors. Sora bent to pick up the money, he might need that later, and to gather a few health balls to help his bruises, which disappeared more and more as he gathered the green balls.  
  
Once they all had filled their health needs and had packed the dollars into their pockets. They glanced around at the wall blocks.  
  
"How are we gonna' get out of here?" Sora asked his temporary partners.  
  
Before either could answer, another, more enormous, Heartless slammed down onto the ground before them. It was completely covered with purple, greys and blacks. Its body parts were all disconnected. His helmet head spinning around in the air. It had large arms, with pointed claws, great, wide feet and a rounded torso with the Heartless symbol displayed on its front.  
  
"Wha-!" Donald cried as one of the armor's hands shot out like a torpedo, claws meeting tips in the center, and hit him full in the chest. He was knocked out immediately.  
  
"Donald!" Goofy cried, taking a herb and pouring it into the duck's bill. Donald's eyes opened. He pushed Goofy away and shot as many Fire spells at the creature's hands as he could.  
  
Sora jumped forward, banging against the metal of the creature's torso. The three of them, it seemed, were only denting the Heartless' structure. Every now and then Heartless arms would twirl in a circle around them, hitting anyone its path.  
  
Finally, sick of not effecting the Heartless, Sora jumped as high as he possibly could and hit the creature's circular head as hard as possible, causing it to go flying across the small area like a baseball. Its entire body jumped backwards at the sudden and unexpected contact, small eyeholes seeming to glare at him.  
  
"Ahah! Aim for his head, guys. That's his weakest point," Sora tipped them.  
  
"Yeah!" Donald quacked, firing inferno five times at the head, the creature shuddering at every hit. Goofy threw his shield outwards like a boomerang, so that it flew into the creature's head and returned at his feet.   
  
The creature, noticing the sudden decline of its being unhurt, began going berserk; arms flinging themselves in all directions, feet stalking everywhere reachable and kicking its opponets, torso spinning like a ballerina across the ground to knock anyone in reaching distance backwards.  
  
Donald was, Sora came to realize, a big problem with physical defense and attacking, as he began getting knocked out constantly because of his lack of armor and survival equipment. Goofy had become a great help because he could reach the Heartless' head easily and had strong attacks.  
  
Donald quacked furiously as he battled with a flying arm, which insisted on twirling to his back, so that it could attack his undefended side. Goofy cried out, "Take that!" as he defeated an armored foot, which burst into health balls.   
  
Behind him, Donald shot another Fire spell and the infuriating arm was no more, leaving only the torso and head remaining, as Sora had destroyed one foot and arm already. He punctured the armor anywhere he hit now that it had been worn down from his first stabs.  
  
And, as they all joined in the task of shouting and hitting the torso, it finally gave away. It shook uncontrollably as it began falling to pieces, until only the helmet was left floating. Seeing its defeat, the head fell to the ground as well, with a fragile, purple heart floating into the air, signalling the Heartless' destruction.  
  
All that was left was a purple bracelet which Sora picked up and, after examining it, attached to his wrist.  
  
"That'll teach 'im," Donald said reassuringly as Sora took the armor.  
  
"Yeah. We did it!" Goofy shouted gleefully.  
  
"We also found the person we was looking for," Donald continued.  
  
"So, you were looking for me?" Sora asked, pointing to himself.  
  
"Uh-huh," they both responded.  
  
"They, too, have been seeking the weilder of the Keyblade," Leon's deep voice rang out from behind, startling him as he hadn't noticed the block walls returning to normal.  
  
"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel," Goofy directed to Sora.  
  
Sora looked to the ground, just remembering his lost friends. "I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi...," Sora said to himself quietly.  
  
"Of course," the duck replied, taking Sora's full attention. He watched as Goofy and Donald kneeled towards each other so that they could talk unheard.  
  
"Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends," Leon said behind him.  
  
Sora shrugged. "Yeah, I guess..."  
  
"But you can't come along looking like that," Donald said, referring to Sora's sad frown. "Understand? No frowning. No sad face. Okay?" Donald warned.  
  
"Yeah, ya' gotta' look funny. Like us. Woah!" Goofy cried as Donald pushed him away.  
  
"This boat rides on happy faces," Donald said, smiling himself.  
  
"Happy?" Sora said to himself. Then gathering all of his happiness, smiled with his bright, white teeth. His smile faltering as Donald and Goofy stare in disbelief before bursting into laughter.  
  
"So, why not? I'll go with you guys," Sora finished, continuing to smile. He held his hand out between the three of them.  
  
"Yeah!" Donald quacked, placing his wing on top of Sora's hand.  
  
"All for one, and one for all!" Goofy finished, placing his hand on top of theirs.  
  
"Alright, let's get going," Sora said happily.  
  
"Not until we're ready," Donald replied grumpily as the three of them, Leon, Yuffie and the woman in pink went through the wooden door into the burgundy of the First District. They continued until they were standing before the steps that led to the Accessory Shop, passing a large crowd.  
  
"Hi, Sora. I'm Aerith, I hope you like Traverse Town for the little while you stay here," the woman in pink began.  
  
"Make sure your prepared for the journey ahead of you. We don't know how far the Heartless have spread," Leon warned.  
  
"Check out the shops here, they've got some pretty neat stuff!" Yuffie cut in.  
  
"This is from all of us," Aerith said, handing Sora one thousand dollars cash.  
  
"Uh... Thanks!" Sora smiled.  
  
"And this is from Leon," she continued, handing him a bottle of orange liquid. "It's an Elixir."  
  
"Good luck!" Yuffie said, giving him a thumbs up.  
  
"I hope you find your friends," Aerith beamed.  
  
"Look out for each other. Keep your spirits up," Leon finished, the three adults walking up the stairs, past Cid's shop and taking a place in the corner at the right, beginning their own, private, discussion.  
  
Once they had gone, Donald turned to Sora, followed by Goofy. "Okay, the Gummi Ship's outside that gate," Donald told him, pointing to the huge, wooden door opposite the Accessory Shop.  
  
"The what?" Sora asked, not believing his ears.  
  
"That's our ship," Donald replied.  
  
"Wait 'till you see it!" Goofy cried gleefully.  
  
"Hold on. Sora, this is for you," Donald stated, handing Sora a miniscule, blue orb.  
  
"Now you can do magic too. Once you learn it from a powerful enemy of that element. Just attach it to your Keyblade," Donald declared. Sora pressed the crystal against the Keyblade and was suprised when it melted into the metal itself.  
  
"Good, I was wondering if the Keyblade could use those," Donald said to himself. "Goofy, you give him that other thing."  
  
"What?" Goofy asked, puzzled.  
  
"You know!" Donald shouted exaggeratedly.  
  
"Oh yeah," Goofy said, handing Sora a green orb similar to the one Donald gave him. "They allow you to use an ability more often, but they can also use energy, like magic does, to complete them. Press it into your skin, it's the ability Dodge Roll," Goofy stated, Sora glowing a bright white for one second after pressing the orb into his skin. "Guess, we should look for 'em along the way, huh?"  
  
"Is that it? Let's get going," Sora asked.  
  
"Not until we're full on supplies. We need potions, ethers and new weapons," Donald answered, squaddling up the steps. They turned left to the Items shop. They walked down the set of stairs to reach the level with the shelves and stocks after going through the door.  
  
The three ducks Sora had seen with Scrooge earlier that wore green, red and blue were acting as the co-owner's of the shop.  
  
"Hello, how much are potions and ethers? And do you have any new staffs and shields?" Donald asked upon reaching the green desk counter, not noticing the three ducks, as he reached into one of his pockets.  
  
"Uncle Donald! I hope you're not expecting a benefit just because your family," the duck at the register, the one in red, smirked.  
  
"No. Could you answer those questions. I'm in a hurry," Donald replied angrily.  
  
"Well, potions are $25, ethers $100 and yes, we have two new weapons in stock," the younger duck answered.  
  
"Let's see those equipment," Donald requested.  
  
"All right," he complied. He pulled out a blue-handled staff with a golden star at the head. "This is Morning Star." He reached back into the box bringing out a blue sheild with a green marking in the center. "And this is Smasher. They're both priced at $250," the young duck answered.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Here you go," Donald grumbled, pulling out the acquired cost. "Don't let all this money go to your head, Huey."  
  
"We don't get all of the money, just a percent of it. This shop belongs to Uncle Scrooge," the duck replied.  
  
"No wonder. Here give us uhh... Thirty potions and ten ethers," Donald commanded, pulling out the remaining amount of his own money to pay for it.  
  
"$1750 please," the duck said, after successfully writing down the order into the green cash register. Donald handed him his remaining money. "Thanks," he said, handing them a backpack he had stuffed with their order with a receipt and taking the dollars in Donald's outstretched hand.  
  
"Okay, let's go get some accessories. Goofy, give me your shield," Donald said, stuffing his original staff in to the box and taking the nely acquired Morning Star.  
  
"Here ya' go," Goofy said, handing him the shield and taking his new-bought Smasher.  
  
"Okay, Sora. You're going to have to buy the rest, for now. I've used all my money up buying the health supplies and weapons," Donald said, turning to him.  
  
"All right," Sora said, turning to walk back up the stairs and out onto the street of Cid's Accessory Shop, hearing Donald's quacked goodbyes and waves as the three ducks called, "Goodbye, Uncle Donald," in unison.  
  
He pushed the door to the accessory shop open and walked through, followed by Donald and Goofy.  
  
"Well, hello again. What can I get for ya'?" Cid asked in his hoarse voice, turning to meet them as the door opened.  
  
"Yeah, we need some accessories. We were wonderin' what kind you have?" Donald said from behind him.  
  
"I have Fire Rings, Blizzard Rings, Thunder Rings, Protect Chains and Ability Studs in stock. Take your pick," he responded.  
  
"How 'bout two Fire Rings, Protect Chains and Blizzard Rings and one Ability Stud?" Donald asked.  
  
"Sure," Cid said, reaching below the counter to take the specific choices from the shelves.  
  
"Go ahead, Sora. Give him the money. It's $800, $100 for everthing except the Ability Stud, which is $200. The Ability Stud is yours, that's why I asked for only one," Donald told him.  
  
"Okay," Sora replied, turning back to the counter, where Cid had returned from the shelves. "Here you go."  
  
"And here you go," Cid replied, handing him the sack of equipment. "Be careful with whatever you're doing, Sora," he finished.  
  
"Yeah, see ya'," Sora responded, following Donald and Goofy back out into the streets.  
  
"So, are we ready now!?" Sora asked, exasperated, throwing his hands up in emphasis.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. We won't put this equipment on until we reach the next world, so that we know what type is best for our defense. But, you can go ahead and take the Ability Stud. I'm pretty sure that'll help you in any battle," Donald answered, handing him a round, dark green arm brace, which he snapped onto his lower left arm.  
  
"Now let's go!" Donald finished, stalking down the steps toward the door on the other end of the street, which had become crowded with the few residents in Traverse Town. Scrooge had returned and was speaking through a stereo microphone that was booming his voice for all to here in front of his mansion.  
  
"Now, now! Let's all just get back to our own homes! The Heartless have settled down and there are guards in the streets to keep you from getting sabotaged, for now. So get on home!" Scrooge shouted, pointing to the door to the Second District, behind the Accessory Shop.  
  
The crowd grumbled as they slowly walked past Sora, who had moved over to the side to walk around them. Scrooge had put down the microphone and was heading for the front gate as well.  
  
Once they had all reached the door, Scrooge had caught them.  
  
"Well, well. We meet again," Scrooge croaked. "So, I see you've met me nephew, Donald Duck. He's nothing special, but he's my nephew," he cackled.  
  
Donald growled menacingly, causing Scrooge's laugh to be cut short.  
  
"So, where are you going, Sora?"  
  
"I'm going with them," Sora said, poking his thumb out to Goofy and Donald, who nodded in agreement.  
  
"Have you got your supplies already?" he asked, receiving a nod from Sora. "All right. I wanted to thank you for saving me and my family," Scrooge continued, offering a feathered hand, which Sora took gratefully.  
  
"From now on, whenever you come to Traverse Town, you're free of charge from admission. Unless you stay for over twenty-four hours," Scrooge smiled, spectacles shining brightly. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to meet someone about the cleanup of Traverse Town's streets after that incident with the Heartless," he finished, nodding to them, and walking to the Third District door.  
  
"Come on, Sora," Goofy called as he followed Donald through the front gate, Sora rushing after them.  
  
The dock was made up of a long, silver floor that lined the entire outskirts of the Town. There were huge stalls situated every thirty feet from each other for vessels and ships, the people were more crowded here than inside the town.  
  
"Here we are," Donald announced angrily after they had walked to the left for six stalls, webbed feet having got stepped upon several times along the way. The Gummi Ship was colored with orange at the base, the top having a small window to see out of. Its front was a weapon, which poked out and was red with a shooting hole in its center.  
  
Donald waddled over to the left wing, where a set of stairs that was attached to the ship hung loosely. Sora followed them up into the front, where the console and window were. He smiled as he sat down in a warm, fluffy chair, strapping his belt just as Donald and Goofy did, who's chairs were in front on either side of him.  
  
He stared, amazed at what had happened so far that day, as Donald hit a couple of buttons and switches until the Gummi Ship came alive with power. Donald took the handle, which directed where to fly, and pulled back slowly, turning slightly to Donald's left. The ship followed in motion, curving backwards, to the left, so that, now, they were facing empty space.  
  
"Okay, we travel to many other worlds with the Gummi Ship. Gummi blocks are the only material you can use to make a ship that can take you into 'another' world. You can build other ships that can fly, that aren't made of Gummi, but they only take you in and out of your own world, so there you go," Donald stated, looking back at Sora as he explained.  
  
"But, you can get to other worlds by just appearing there, like you did to Traverse Town. In that way, you can also go to the world you're sent to," Donald continued. "Okay, now that we're aboard, we're going to a world to the far left of Traverse Town. It's the closest world to here and the Gummi Ship reads that it has a small number of Heartless inhabiting it, so it would be the best place to start until we get stronger. It's called 'Wonderland,'" Donald finished, bringing a picture of the world up on the miniscule, square screen so that Sora and Goofy could see.  
  
The world itself seemed small. It was a twirling mass of landscapes that, obviously, took up a large amount of the world's space. The base was a circle of crossmatched, heart embroidered, pink tiles. There was a large green maze on top, with a large white castle tower standing in its center. The bottom side had an upside down cottage, with straw for a roof, and a large tree towering its side.  
  
"That's where we're going?" Sora asked in disbelief, he'd never pictured a world like that.  
  
"Yep," Donald retorted, taking a hold on the handle again and pushing straight forward, curving slightly to the right where they locked onto a shining path that led them to the new world. They were, occasionally, attacked by other Heartless ships, but Donald shot them down before they could make any serious damage.  
  
Once they had reached their destination, floating above the oddity, Donald spinned his chair around so that he was facing Sora.  
  
"We have to go stand on the steps while the Ship accesses a Save Point. A Save Point is a glowing circle of light that heals the person who steps upon it, the Gummi Ship locks onto all the Save Points in each world so that we can enter and leave that world at those spots. Of course, noone in that specific world can see the Save Points because they never leave their homes. So, let's go," Donald commanded, jumping out of his seat and leaving the same way he had entered the Gummi Ship.  
  
Sora and Goofy followed closely behind. Once they reached the steps, Donald pushed them open so that they were hanging in the middle of space.  
  
"Won't we loose oxygen this way?!" Sora asked in horror.  
  
"No! The Gummi Ship supplies all the oxygen we need, so there isn't anything to worry about," Donald replied.  
  
At the edge of the dangling steps, on the lowest step, there was a Save Point glittering in the black nothingness of space. Donald stepped down to it, careful not to trip. Sora and Goofy followed his example, stepping as much as possible onto any part of the light.  
  
"Best start at the beginning of the world," Donald said, looking at a blue watch on his wrist which displayed the possible breaching points. "Wonderland, here we come!" Donald shouted as they disappeared into three glowing bubbles of light and were transported downwards into the depths of Wonderland.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Woah! Huge! But, I wrote really slow so I took about three weeks to get this completely written, and I still haven't edited the last chapter. Which I'm just about to do before starting on the next. I'm sorry to the few fans I have for not having this up sooner. If you like, hate, or love this fanfic review. Tell me if you think it's horrible, stupid, good, fantastic, or anything else and why, maybe I can fix it.  
  
Oh, and I hope you noticed the parts I added. I added in Scrooge and his family because Huey, Dewey and Louie were already in Traverse Town, I just put more reason. Besides, Traverse Town needed a mayor. I also added in that part with Treasure Planet. I made it so that Jim had just got the map from Billy Bones in the movie when the Heartless took over and destroyed their world. I also added a poster in that intro alley with the R. L. S. Legacy. And I hope I did a good job with the FF Characters, I'm sorry to say that I haven't completed any of the FF Games. I've only started FF9, 10, and the very first one that was redone and rereleased in the FF Origins packet.  
  
But, oh well. I done this story for the Disney part, but I don't want the FF fans to be mad(There are a lot of them, aren't there?) Well, hopefully I'll get the next chapter done before the weekend is over, because we had three days of school off so I decided to write(I know, I'm a geek. :) and it's only Saturday now. Plus I'm hoping to get two chapters of that story I mentioned earlier, The Heartless Chapters, out too. I've already started the chapters on Maleficent and Ursula.  
  
So, until next time. 


	6. In a World of Her Own

Kingdom Hearts - Wonderland  
  
by Chaos0110  
  
Author's Note:   
  
(By the way, this is the unedited version, meaning I haven't reread it and corrected it, so it won't be as good as my normal chapters, I'll probably have the edited version up tomorrow, or the day after, depending on schoolwork)  
  
So long! Three months or so!!! And I know my few fans are just DIEING to read this...lol.  
  
This chapter is specifically based on Alice In Wonderland's world in Kingdom Hearts. Okay, now on how I'm going to do the Disney Worlds. I plan on keeping them basically on the same track as their movies, because Sora just drops into the beginning or end of their movies. The only difference is that there are Heartless, Ansem, and Donald & Goofy; which complicates things for everyone in the worlds.  
  
The Heartless Enemy in this story is the same; Trickmaster. And I kept the plotline part from Kingdom Hearts about the Queen of Hearts having been attacked to. And I used a bit of the manga as well...  
  
On other news for this story, I've added many new worlds. Counting every world seen in the game, and that includes Destiny Islands, Disney Castle, Hollow Bastion, End of the World and Traverse Town, plus the ones I added you get 24 Worlds in total. Several worlds connect with others based on characters' in their movies. Like Jane Porter comes from England, but the world's barriers being destroyed by the Heartless left her the chance to travel between worlds. *hint, hint*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They fell into darkness, slowly falling downwards. When they reached outwards, they could feel nothing.  
  
"Where are we?" Sora's curious voice asked.  
  
"I don't know," Donald answered, quacking furiously as he tried to see what was below.  
  
"It's nice though. A perfect place to sleep, in the air..." Goofy announced, laying his head in his elevated arms.  
  
"Wake up!" Donald cried, hitting him on the head with his staff.  
  
"What's that below us?" Sora asked as light glared off their sides.  
  
Donald reached out to a small figure in the darkness. "It's a chain!" Donald said, jerking it down. Light flooded from the lamp, who's chain Donald had pulled.  
  
"This is weird..." Sora said, looking at himself in a mirror on the green, square indented walls.  
  
As they floated, they passed tables and bird cages. As Sora passed another mirror, he noticed that it showed him upside down.   
  
"Oh! A book! Maybe this has something in it that can help us," Donald cried, taking a red-covered book from a small table. He looked inside, trying to determine its contents. "It's written in rubbish!" Donald shouted, throwing the worthless book down the tunnel, which flew backwards and hit him in the face causing a loud squawk.  
  
"Shouldn't we have met someone by now?" Sora asked, looking at a patch of daisies sprouting from the wall. On his words, the lower light changed to blue and he could here a dull sound, like a piano key. He looked down, to see a grandfather clock dinging a time change.  
  
"Gawrsh!" Goofy cried as he was engulfed in a tan rocking chair. The surrounding walls had changed to bricks now that they were further down, several portraits hanging cozily on the walls.  
  
"It's getting warmer!" Donald shouted, his tail feathers almost colliding with a red flame inside a fireplace on the wall, a tea kettle burning ferociously over it.  
  
As they fell farther, the brick changed to a dark cavern wall. As Sora's legs propelled backwards, so that he was going head-first down the tunnel, Donald and Goofy in the same position, he noticed a map of a blue and green planet, with poles on either side of it and the people walking upwards, depending on where they were standing.  
  
He was paying too close attention to the map, that he hadn't noticed the pole his feet stuck to as the gravity returned to the three of them. Donald and Goofy fell to the ground from the sudden change, Sora dangling above them on a black pole that held a pair of parted, red curtains.   
  
He pulled his feet from overtop of the pole so that he became a heap on the ground.  
  
"Sora, look!" Donald cried, pointing down the awkwardly proportioned hall. Sora followed his gaze to see a small, white rabbit with large spectacles and a red nose hopping around the bending wall. He was coated in a red jacket, black bow-tie, yellow shirt, and grey pants that revealed his fluffy tail and feet.  
  
He grabbed his head as if he was sick, grasping a golden, over-sized pocket watch and checking it for the third time. "Oh, dear," he moaned, tears splashing down his furry face as he disappeared around the wall. "I'm late! Oh! I'm late!"  
  
The room was shaped oddly; walls jutting out at ever angle, tiles different sizes and shapes, furnitue that floated just above the ground.  
  
"Hey, wait! Can you help us!?" Sora cried out to the rabbit.  
  
"Let's follow him. He's bound to lead us to someone who can help!" Donald said, taking off down the hall. Sora followed past portraits of clocks until they passed the curved wall and came to a small, blue door.  
  
"Let's go!" Donald repeated, opening the door and rushing in to collide with the next, brown door that opened from the opposite side. "Oh!" Donald moaned, falling to the floor.  
  
"Come on," Sora said, taking Donald's place at the doors. He opened the next, which Donald had run into, and then the next, and the next and then the last, smallest door of all. "I think we can fit through there," Sora said, stuffing his upper body through the opening.  
  
He had to use his hands to help push the rest of himself through. He stood up, turning to the newly discovered room. The walls on each side were different colors with the same square indentation along each of the many rows.  
  
The wall he emerged from was burgundy, the right wall blue, the left pink and the wall before him was green. "It's okay, you can fit through," he told his companions, peering through the doorway he emerged from.  
  
Donald, having recovered from his recent accident, flew directly through the hole after jumping, being the perfect fit for his small size. Goofy was another thing completely. He was only halfway through before he was stuck.  
  
"Come on, Goofy!" Donald shouted angrily, seizing Goofy's gloved hands and pulling as hard as he could until Goofy had burst through, throwing them both backwards onto the stitched floor.  
  
"Woah! Thanks, Donald," he said, smiling two buck teeth.  
  
"No, problem. Sora, did you see where that white rabbit went?" Donald asked, turning to Sora questionably  
  
"Isn't it obvious? He had to go through there," Sora replied, pointing across the pink and white patched floors to a pink curtain held from a golden rail.  
  
Sora pushed the curtain aparts after rushing the small distance. "Oh, no! Not another door! And this one is even smaller!" Sora moaned. Sora went ahead and reached for the golden doorknob, twisting it. He jumped backwards as the knob cried out in pain.  
  
"I beg your pardon!" it glared at them.  
  
"What?! It can talk?!" Donald cried out from Sora's right.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sora replied, completely suprised.  
  
"It's quite all right. But you did give me quite a turn," it said in a royal manner. It opened its eyes, thinking to itself, then, smiling, he laughed, "Rather good, what? Doorknob, turn!  
  
"One good turn disserves another. What can I do for you?" he asked, fixing his gaze on the three of them.  
  
"Well, we saw this rabbit earlier. We had to ask him, if he had seen someone we're looking for," Sora told him. "And, we were wondering if you could open up, so we could get through to find him?" Sora added.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. You're much too big. Simply impassable," the doorknob replied.  
  
"You mean 'impossible,'" Donald corrected.  
  
"No, 'impassable.' Nothing's impossible!" he laughed. "Why don't you try the bottle on the table."  
  
"There isn't a table!" Sora replied, turning to emphasize the empty room, but was startled to see a glass table spin from out of nowhere and glide to stop in the middle of the room, a bottle falling atop it.  
  
He stood from his place on his knees and walked to the table, grasping the small bottle. "This place is getting weirder and weirder...," Sora said to himself, shaking his head.  
  
"Read the directions, and directly, you'll be directed in the right... direction," he laughed gleefully.  
  
"Wait! What's in this!? Are you sure it isn't poison are something!?" Donald asked Sora impatiently.  
  
"Why would it be? Noone knew we were coming, so why would they want to poison us?" Sora replied in disbelief. He looked at the tab hanging from the bottle's neck. "'Drink Me,' the bottle says," Sora said to himself, just audible to the others.  
  
He raised the bottle to his mouth, taking a small sip before setting it back down onto the glass table. "It tastes like the pineapple we had back on my island!" Sora said, noticing his body lurch.  
  
"What!?" Sora asked as he shrunk even smaller. "I've shrunk!" he shouted, looking down at his now tiny body.  
  
"Now what!? I told you something might be wrong with that stuff!" Donald shouted at the new, miniscule version of Sora.  
  
"Well, it helped!" Sora glared up at Donald.  
  
"How? Now you're just going to waste our time," Donald challenged.  
  
"No, now I can get through the door," Sora told him, walking over to the Doorknob, which looked down at him with it's yellow eyes.  
  
"Can you let us through now?" Sora asked the odd door handle.  
  
"Soory! Didn't I tell you? You need the key, I'm locked," he laughed.  
  
"Where is it?" Sora asked, exasperated.  
  
"It's up there," the Doorknob replied, nodding to the glass table between Goofy and Donald.  
  
"Donald, get that key!" Sora shouted up to him.  
  
"I know that!" Donald said, plucking the golden key that appeared from the table. He dropped it down to Sora. Who fell backwards trying to keep from colliding with the golden key as it shot to the floor.  
  
Donald laughed from up above him, thinking it was hilarious that Sora nearly got hit on the head. Sora stood up and walked to the limp key. He propped it up and pushed it towards the door. The Doorknob guffawed at his efforts. "Pretty tough being that tiny isn't it!" he laughed at Sora.  
  
"Yeah, it is" Sora said angrily. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this place any better than he already did as he went farther into it. He struggled to hold the key up and then entered it into the shaking mouth of the Doorknob. He let it hang there and turned around.  
  
"Hey, you guys. Go ahead and come down here," Sora shouted up to Goofy and Donald.  
  
"All right," Donald said, grasping the small, round bottle. He took a small sip and let it go as he was shrunk to the floor. "Aaah!," he cried, as he fell over in dizziness. The bottle hit the glass table, spinning around for a few seconds before Goofy picked it back up. He took the bottle and took the last swallow. He placed back on the table where it mysteriously filled itself up.  
  
"Ahahuey!" Goofy cried in suprise as he too came to rest on the ground.  
  
"Come on," he told them as they pulled themselves up from the ground. He turned back to the key. The Doorknob said something, but it was inaudible with the key in his mouth. Sora turned the key, and pulled it out of the Doorknob's mouth. "What did you say?" Sora asked as the door popped open.  
  
"I said watch out for the water!" the Doorknob cried in anguish as dark, blue water quickly flowed out of the open doorway.  
  
"Aaaaaahhh!" Donald cried as he turned to run from the oncoming water. Sora and Goofy wasn't as lucky. The two friends were pummeled by the first waves of it and then engulfed. Donald, in feudal efforts, was also taken by the water as it swirled through the room.  
  
Sora, who was now almost completely underwater, shouted to his friends, "Go for the doorway!" He only hoped they heard him as he dived into the watery depths and swam for his life. He glanced back to see that Goofy was swimming after him, with Donald clutching onto his leg.   
  
As he came to the opening of the door, the water was pushing him harder and the buubles of movement were increased. He could barely see enough to get through the door, but pushed himself harder to the door. He'd made it through, Donald and Goofy right behind him as they rushed upwards for oxygen.  
  
Sora crashed through the surface, gasping for breath. Donald and Goofy followed suit, splashing through the surface and breathing hard.  
  
"That was....dangerous," Sora said, still gasping for breath and keeping his arms and legs moving so as to stay afloat.  
  
"Yeah," Donald replied, now swimming on his on. "Let's go before we get sucked back end," Donald told them, feeling the pull at his legs.  
  
They quickly swam the rest of the down the ocean of water. In the distance, they could see a human-size Dodo standing on a giant, brown boulder. He was holding a log lit with fire in his white-feathered hands. The entire boulder was slowly engulfed by the water.  
  
They swam up beside the boulder as the water began to recede. The Dodo was wearing a sky-blue vest with a black overcoat and a black hat with a blue bow on the end of a ponytail made from the feathers on his head. He was singing some kind of marching song. They could faintly hear something from beneath the water surrounding the boulder.  
  
"Hey you! Why don't you join in the march, young man! Standing around in the water like that, you'll never get dry!" the Dodo shouted to Sora and his companions as the water slowly receded while he placed the fire logs at his bird-feet.   
  
As the water disappeared, a firm, muddy soil ground was reveiled and on it was a group of galloping sea animals. They were dancing around the Dodo bird, chanting the song he had been singing before Sora had arrived.  
  
"No! We can't!" Donald told Sora. "We have to find that rabbit! He was going somewhere important! He might lead us to what we're looking for!"  
  
Sora nodded and turned back to the singing Dodo. "Sorry, but we can't right now!" Sora shouted back. "We're looking for a rabbit. He's white, has a big pocket watch and wear's clothes!"Sora finished. He felt like he was going insane. Donald and Goofy being able to talk and act like humans we're one thing. But now almost every animal he met wore clothes and talked.  
  
"Nope, haven't seen him! Why don't you join in with the march and dry off while you're waiting for him," the Dodo responded, gesturing to the marine animals who we're still running around the boulder and singing. They we're slowly leaving a line marked into the mud of their escapade around the boulder.  
  
The walking creatures seemed unaffected as the water splashed back at them. Unlike Sora, Donald and Goofy, who we're thrown to the ground and covered with water from the impact.  
  
"Uuuh! What's with this water!" Sora shouted out angrily as he pulled himself from the mud. He was instantly knocked back over as something spinning in a black umbrella flew out of the retreating water and went through his legs.  
  
Pulling his head out of the mud and ignoring Donald's quacks of laughter, Sora glared at whatever had plunged him back into the mud. It was the White Rabbit. He was inside his black umbrella and had just come to a stop. He had obviously used the umbrella as a boat to get him across the water since he probably couldn't swim. He jumped out of the water-filled umbrella, emptied it and looked at his gold watch again through his glass spectacles.  
  
He gasped in suprise and glanced over at Sora. "I'm so sorry, but I'm late! I'm late!" the Rabbit said, taking off for the forest near the singing animals.   
  
"Wait, please wait!" Sora commanded the Rabbit, but it was in vain as the Rabbit simply kept running for the forest. "Come on!" Sora said to Donald and Goofy before taking off after the perplexing Rabbit  
  
The mud slowly turned from mud to sand and then into grass-covered sand as Sora rushed up the beach and into the forest. Most of the grass was covered with white-petaled flowers and gray-trunked trees.  
  
Sora tried his best to keep up with the Rabbit, but he lost him around a bend of trees about twelve feet into the forest.  
  
"Now what?!" Sora said, exasperated after finding no clue as to where the Rabbit had gone. The area he stood in was a small gap in the trees where the sun could see through. There was a tree trunk that sat in the middle of the sunlight, but seemed untouched.  
  
"Maybe we should just pick one direction and go, huyuk!" Goofy said looking down the different paths opening between the trees.  
  
"Well, that seems like the best plan if we want to...Aaaahhh!!!" Donald screamed as he fell backwards.  
  
Sora turned around to find to identical twins standing in front of Donald. They were both plump with extremely thin legs with black shoes. There pants were red and were pulled all the way up to a blue bow that covered a white banners that each side circled around and met in the middle of their chest. They had red beanies topped with yellow flags on their orange-haired heads.  
  
"Who are they?" Sora asked walking up to the stock-still men. Goofy looked at them and noticed something written on their banners.   
  
"Oh, I got it! He's Tweedle Dee," Goofy said, pointing to the twin on the right, "and he's Tweedle Dum!" Goofy finished pointing at the opposite twin.  
  
"What kind of stupid names are those?" Donald asked aloud.  
  
The two twins jumped up onto the tree trunk, bounced on top of each other until they had fully passed Sora and landed onto the ground in front of the suprised duck.  
  
"Why, there our names of course!" Tweedle Dum said and elbowed his twin.  
  
"Contrare to whack if you think we ought to let you speak to us!" Tweedle Dee responded.  
  
They hit each other with the elbow, which emanated a strange horn sound and jumped back onto the unmoving log. They done another dance, bouncing on each other, giving off another horn sound everytime they collided and landed back onto the ground in front of Donald.  
  
"That's logic!" they said together, holding up their opposite hand's index fingers.  
  
Sora shook his head and turned back to the pathways in the trees. "Well, we have to be somewhere else. Come on, guys," Sora said, taking off on one of the pathways.  
  
"Oh no, you can't go yet!" Tweedle Dum said, bouncing in front of Sora's way.  
  
"The visit has just started!" Tweedle Dee finished for his twin as they both held out their hands to signal Sora to stop.  
  
"Sorry, but we're going somewhere!" Sora said, getting annoyed and trying to push his way through the odd brothers.  
  
"Don't you want to play a game or two!" Tweedle Dum began.  
  
"Yeah, like hide and seek or button, button, who's got the button?" Tweedle Dee finished.  
  
"Noooo!!" Donald shouted at them as he followed Sora off into the opposite direction.  
  
"Stay around long enough and we might have a battle!" Tweedle Dee said as he and Tweedle Dee jumped back into their way. They both began to punch Donald in a way you would if you were having a battle.  
  
Donald quacked in anger at each punch. "Fire!" he shouted, shooting a flame at one of the twins. They moved out of the way as the inferno soared into the sky.  
  
"No, no! You don't try to hurt your hosts!" Tweedle Dum said, raising his index finger again.  
  
"That's manners!" Tweedle Dee finished.  
  
"We're leaving!" Donald said, walking through them followed by Sora and Goofy.  
  
"Why!?" the twins asked in unison as they bounced in front of them once again.  
  
"We need to find the White Rabbit we met a little while ago," Sora replied, moving with the group in another direction. They were stopped once again as the twins gave another question.  
  
"Why!?" they asked again.  
  
"Because we're trying to find something and we think he might know where it is!" Donald answered, pushing them backwards so they could walk through them again.  
  
"We tell stories too ya' know!" Tweedle Dum began, meeting with his twin in front of them once again.  
  
"Why don't you sit down while we give you some eddication!" Tweedle Dee finished as they took Donald's hands and forced him back, along with Sora and Goofy, to the old tree log. The twins pushed them down onto the trunk like it was a bench.  
  
"Reciting Father William!" they said together.  
  
"First verse!" Tweedle Dum said as they begun their recital.  
  
"Come on," Sora whispered to Donald and Goofy as he crawled behind the old log and off onto one of the paths. The twins, caught up in their recital, didn't take notice to their vistors' leave.  
  
"Geez, what a bunch of whackos!" Donald said after they had gathered enough distance away from the two brothers.  
  
"I though they were funny!" Goofy replied.  
  
"Oh, what do you know, you big palooka?" Donald said, ending the conversation.  
  
They kept walking until they came to an end of the shadowed forest. In the open area sat a pink and white house that was concrete at it's base. It had a small, pink rounded door. It had two windows that were closed in with pink shutters. The roof was of yellow hay and shadowed the burgundy grass that grew there. There was several yard utensils on the edges of the house and was enshrouded by the surrounding trees that were covered with pink blossoms.  
  
The three companions walked up to the fence post, where the gate was open wide to the cement path that led to the doorway, and was topped by yellow leaves.  
  
They could hear the voice of the White Rabbit coming from inside and began walking for the door.  
  
"Now you listen here, Mary Anne...Help!!!!" the voice screamed. The door was threw open and the White Rabbit, who was now wearing a red, gray and white uniform with a red heart as the logo, was pushed out by a very large, black shoe along with some of his pink possesions.  
  
He landed near a bird house beside the gate. The top windows' shutters were thrown off by the arm shaped intruder. The White Rabbit didn't seem to notice Sora as he looked as his house.  
  
"Oooohh! Noooo! Hellllp!! Monnnnsteeer!!" he shouted out, jumping over his stone fence and running to the right of his house down a white path into the forest. "Help!! Assistance!" his voice called out as he blew his newfound trumpet.  
  
"What is that thing?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy, taking a step back.  
  
"A monster! A monster, Dodo! In my house, Dodo!" the rabbit's voice continued. Coming closer from the forest he had retreated to.  
  
Sora looked back at the forest where the frightened Rabbit was walking beside the Dodo they had seen earlier.  
  
"Oh my poor little bitty house!" the White Rabbit said in sadness.  
  
"Steady, steady, my old chap. Can't be afraid of all that you know," the Dodo said, puffing an old pipe, which littered smoke into the air.  
  
"All my good roof and shutters and all my walls and...there it IS!!" the Whhite Rabbit cried out, jumping into the air about as high as Sora stood while pointing at the small ruptured house.  
  
The Dodo, who had been walking calmly while swinging his gray cane, lost everything in the air upon seeing the house, but caught hold of his belongings before gravity took them. "By Joe!" he whispered, amazed at the house.  
  
"Jolly well is, isn't it!" the bird continued, eyes wide.  
  
"Well, do something Dodo!" the White Rabbit said, giving him a little push before taking a hiding place behind the edge of his fence and glancing at his house every so often.  
  
"Yes, indeed!" Dodo said, looking up at the roof. He turned to the large shoe and rapped it several times with his cane. "Extroadinary situation, but uh..."Dodo continued.  
  
"But, but, what?!" the White Rabbit asked, coming out from behind the fence. The two conversing adults, as they seemed to be, had simply ceased to know of Sora, Donald and Goofy's existence as they continued their conversation.  
  
Taking out a blue hankercheif, Dodo blew his beak while holding his coat and cane with his left hand. "But I have a very simple solution!" he said while stuffing his hankercheif into his coat sleeve.  
  
"Thank goodness!" an anonymous voice said.   
  
Sora looked around the White Rabbit's yard. "Who said that?"  
  
"W-w-what is it?" the White Rabbit stuttered.  
  
The Dodo blew his beak again while walking closer to the house. "Simply pull it out the chimney!" the Dodo responded, pointing his cane to the chimney.   
  
"Yes! G-g-go on!" the White Rabbit said, pushing the Dodo forward with all his might.  
  
"Who, me?" the bird asked in disbelief. "Don't be ridiculus," he continued, coughing. "What we need is a..." he thought, putting his wing up to his chin to help him think.  
  
A whistle sounded throughout the area, signaling the entrance of a green overalled lizard. Inside of his overalls was a black sweat shirt and he had a black hat over the head of his green-scaled body. He held a chimney sweep and a ladder in his hands and was walking pass the White Rabbit's infested house, tail dragging behind him.  
  
"A lizard with a ladder!" Dodo finished, staring at the newcomer.  
  
"Hmmm? Oh! Bill! Bill!" the White Rabbit began, running over to the lizard who waved his hat at him. "We need a lazard with a lidder!" he continued, tugging on Bill's arm and pulling him into his yard. "A lidder...a li... Can you help us?" the White Rabbit concluded questionably, letting his grasp on Bill's arm go.  
  
"At your service, Governer!" the lizard replied, holding the first two fingers of his left hand to his forehead and continuing down the stone pathway.  
  
Dodo met him in the middle, embracing him with a wing around the lizard's back and walking with him. "Bill, me lad! Have you ever been down a chimney?" Dodo asked him.  
  
"Why, Governor! I've been down more chimenies than-"Bill began.  
  
"Excellent! Excellent! You just pop down the chimney..." Dodo interrupted, putting the ladder against the front of the White Rabbit's house and pushing Bill up it. "And pull that monster out of there," Dodo finished, watching as Bill continued to climb up the ladder.  
  
"Righteo, Governor!" he replied, looking back at the governor as he continued up. As he passed the window, he done a backflip and looked at it once again. Whatever he saw, Sora couldn't see it because of the angle of the building. "Monster?" he asked, jumping up and screaming his way back down the ladder.  
  
The White Rabbit and Dodo took Bill'stail, trying to keep him from running away in fright, saying reassurances that couldn't be heard over the lizard's screams. Dodo forced the lizard's tail around as if he was steering a car and pointed him back at the ladder, squashing the White Rabbit while doing so.  
  
As Bill took notice in his sudden change in direction he began to run back the ladder again, only to be caught in Dodo's wings as the bird carried him up to the roof.  
  
"That's better. Bill, lad, your passing up a golden oppurtuntity!" Dodo explained as he climbed the ladder using only his feet.  
  
"I am?" Bill asked in disbelief.  
  
"You can be famous!" Dodo continued, waving his smoking pipe around as he held Bill with his other arm.  
  
"I can?" Bill queried, beginning to smile.  
  
"Of course! There's a brave lad! In you go now!" Dodo commanded as he reached the rooftop. "Nothing to it, old boy. Simply wrap your tail around the monster's neck and drag it up!" Dodo told him as he stuffed the lizard's body down the thin chimney hole.  
  
"But-but-but-but, Governer!" Bill stuttered in desperation.  
  
"Good luck, Bill," Dodo gave one last word before stuffing the lizard completely down the chimney.  
  
Suddenly, the whole house began to shudder. Donald, Goofy and Sora jumped back in suprise, watching as Dodo himself jumped onto the ladder as it fell over to the ground. The White Rabbit ran to his hiding place below the intruding foot, followed closely by the dazed Dodo.  
  
There was a loud, sharp sound and the chimney burst open as something black flew out of it, leaving a trail of ash behind it as it shot up into the air.  
  
"Well, there goes Bill," Dodo said to the White Rabbit as he started to smile.  
  
"Poor Bill," the voice Sora had earlier sympathized. Again, Sora looked around and, again, finding noone.  
  
"I know I'm not hearing things," Sora whispered to himself, frowning.  
  
"Uh...," Dodo thought to himself, sucking onto his pipe as he thought harder. "Perhaps we shuld try a more...," he said while pulling out a match and lighting it by rubbing it against the giant shoe, "energetic strategy!" Dodo finished, holding the burning match in his left wing while proposing his idea to the White Rabbit.  
  
"Yes! Anything, anything! But hurry!" the White Rabbit replied, pulling out his ticking pocket watch and pointing at the time to emphasize his point.  
  
"No, I propose that we uh..." Dodo responded, stopping to think once again.  
  
"Yes!? Go on! Go on! Yes!? Yes!?" the White Rabbit, apalled at wasting more time, hurried.  
  
"I propose we uh... Ohhhh!!" he stopped as the match turned burnt down to his wing. "By Joe, that's it!" he answered after staring at his red wing. "We'll burn the house down!" Dodo told him, showing his burnt wing to the White Rabbit.  
  
"Yeah..." the White Rabbit repeated. "We'll burn the house do-What!?" the White Rabbit cried in realization.  
  
"Oh no!" came the anonymous voice's reply to the suggestion.  
  
"Who keeps on talking? Who are you?" Sora asked, annoyed at the weird voice.  
  
"Ooohuhooh!" Dodo shouted as he began a song while he lifted the White Rabbit's furniture and carried it over to the side of the house.  
  
The White Rabbit could be heard whimpering, "Oh, me! Oh, my!"'s and, "No, no, no!"'s as he pleaded with Dodo to come up with a better plan.  
  
Finally coming to grips with Dodo's suggestion, the White Rabbit carried his pink, wooden gate over to the pile, although he still wished there were a better way. He dug a match out of his pocket and handed it to Dodo when the bird asked.  
  
"We'll smoke the monster out!" Dodo concluded his song, lighting the match and throwing it into the pile of wood.  
  
"We'll smoke the monster ou-Nooo! Nooo! My poor house and furniture!" the White Rabbit replied, holding his face with his furry paws.  
  
"Oh dear. This is serious. I simply must... ah! A garden. Perhaps if I ate something, it would make me smaller!" the voice reassured itself. Sora found that the voice must've been coming from the so-called monster all the time as it's hand moved to the garden at the voice's words.  
  
It began to pluck at one of the carrots in the garden, which were all deeply buried, much to the White Rabbit's dislike. He jumped on the prying hand, trying to keep his poor carrot in the ground. Once the hand had pulled the carrot from the Rabbit's yard, it lifted the carrot and its creator, the White Rabbit, into the air.  
  
"Noooo! Let go! Help!!!" the White Rabbit commanded as he was carried through the window.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I must eat something!" the feminine voice of the monster replied.  
  
"Not me! You, you, you, you, you barbarian!" A loud chopping noise was the Rabbit's reply. "Helppppp!!!!!" the White Rabbit's reply sounded. "Monster!!!!"  
  
The giant shoes that were protruding from the house's entrances suddenly pulled themselves back in, along with the human-like hands sticking out from the windows.  
  
"Aaah! I'm LATE!!! Oh, dear I'm here, I should be there!" the White Rabbit cried, running out of his soon to be burned down pink house.  
  
"I say, do you have a match?" Dodo asked him as he flew past. The first match he lit had long worn out, without bringing embers to the Rabbit's pile of furniture.  
  
"Must go! Goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" the White Rabbit replied, shaking Dodo's hand and running out of the land that was uncovered from the trees and into the shadowed forest.  
  
"Oh, wait! We never got to ask him!" Sora asked, crestfallen.  
  
"You, young man! Do you happen to have a match!" Dodo asked him.  
  
"Sorry, no," Sora told him, shrugging.  
  
"Oh, well, young lady, do you have a match?" the bird asked something that Sora didn't see.  
  
"Who is he talkng to?" Sora asked, edging towards the doorway where Dodo had turned to.  
  
"No, I'm sorry, but...wait! Mr. Rabbit!" the feminine voice he had heard earlier shouted from the ground.  
  
"What!?" Donald shouted in suprise as they came face to face with a young girl the size of a pixie.  
  
"Oh, hello! Can you help me?" the young girl asked, looking up at Sora with high hopes. She had a blue dress that went down to her knees and was covered by a white apron. Her black shoes were tiny and oval-shaped and ended the white hoses that covered her legs. Her hair was blonde and engulfed a small black bow, clashing with her big, blue eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" Sora asked, kneeling down to see her better.  
  
"I'm Alice, who might you be? I haven't seen a human here so far."  
  
"I'm Sora, how'd you get here?" he asked her.  
  
"Well, I don't mean to be rude but, could you help me please! I've been chasing that Rabbit all day and I don't want to loose him now!"  
  
"All right," Sora replied picking her up in his hands. He took special care not to drop her as he rushed down the path that curved into the forest, where the White Rabbit had fled. There was a field of flowers around the bend and the White Rabbit had disappeared. I was too late to tell where he had gone. There were around seven different roads to choose from.  
  
Donald stopped me from carrying Alice any farther. "We need to talk for a second," he said, pointing to Alice.  
  
Sora nodded and looked down at Alice. "Why don't you go ahead and will catch up with you," Sora said.   
  
"All right, but don't expect me to wait forever," she said before pushing through the blades of grass.  
  
"Okay, what is it?" Sora said turning back to Donald and Goofy.  
  
"Where should we go from here?" Donald asked him.  
  
"Why don't we just stick with Alice and find the White Rabbit? It might lead us to what you two are looking for and, who knows, we might find my friends somewhere in the forest," Sora answered.  
  
"But, we're not sure exactly what we're looking for," Donald told him.  
  
"What!?"  
  
"We just know that our King told us to find a person with a key and that it was important. Gawrsh, I wonder what it's for!" Goofy intervened.  
  
"It has to have something to do with the worlds otherwise the King wouldn't have left. He said that there was some reason that the stars we're blinking out in his letter," Donald continued.  
  
"Is that all?" Sora asked.  
  
"No, there something else. Have you noticed that there hasn't been any Heartless so far that we've been here?" Donald asked.  
  
"No... I didn't notice that...," Sora whispered silently, becoming suspicious.  
  
"And the Heartless are supposed to follow the Keybearer everywhere, right? So don't you think it's weird that none have attacked us, or even shown that they're here?"  
  
"That is weird... And the people living here don't seem to no about the Heartless either... What's going on here?" Sora responded.  
  
"I don't know, but I think we should be prepared for the worst. They might attack us soon, we better be ready," Donald finished cautiously.  
  
"I'm sure everything'll be all right," Goofy said after they had finished talking about the Heartless.  
  
"Yeah, that's right!" Sora said, gaining his hopes again. "I couldn't have got this Keyblade for nothing!" Sora persisted, raising the Keyblade, which appeared in his hand at will, so that he could study the mysterious weapon. Coming back to his senses, he turned back to the small meadow just as a red butterfly flew by him.  
  
"Come on, let's find Ali-"  
  
"Ih, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yigh!!!" a voice screeched across the meadow.  
  
"Wahhh!" Goofy screamed as he looked up into the air.   
  
"What was tha- Woah!" Sora gasped after turning to see the noisemaker. It was Alice. She was about fifty times the size they had last seen her.  
  
"Helpppp! Serpent! Serpent!" a bird atop Alice's head with a pink bonnet and spectacles squawked after being pushed out of her nesting place in a tree.  
  
"Please, please!" Alice said, trying to calm the mother bird down before she shouted any louder.  
  
"Off with you! Shoo, shoo! Go away! Serpent! Serpeeeeeent!!!" the bird shouted to the sky, holding on to her bonnet so it wouldn't fly away.  
  
"But I'm not a serpent!" Alice tried to explain.  
  
"What!? Indeed!? The just what are you?" the bird asked, landing on the tip of Alice's nose to look her in the eyes.  
  
"I'm just a little girl!" she answered.  
  
"Little? Ha! Little!?" the bird laughed, flying up into the air in front of Alice's head.  
  
"Well, I am! I mean... I was..." Alice told the bird, looking down at her feet.  
  
"And, I suppose you don't eat eggs either?" the mother said sarcasticly.  
  
"Yes, I do. But, but, but, but, but..." Alice tried to reason as the bird started in her shouting again.  
  
"I knew it! I knew IT! Serpeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeent!!!!!" the bird screeched, circling around Alice's blond head.  
  
"Oh, for goodness sake! Hmmm...." Alice said, holding her hands up and glancing at both as the bird gathered her eggs out of her nest on Alice's skull. "And the other side will..." she continued, taking a bite from something in her left hand. She swallowed and instantly shot back down to the earth at her feet, disappearing into the grass.  
  
"What was that about?" Sora asked rhetoricaly as he made his way over to Alice vanishing spot in the green blades. He almost didn't stop in time to keep himself from running into Alice as she popped back up, now the normal size of a girl her age.  
  
"Hello, Sora!" she greeted him. "Better save these," she told herself, sliding something into the pockets of her apron.  
  
"What happened to you?" Sora asked, worried.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Just some advice I gained from a caterpillar," she smiled. "So, how did you get here, Sora? And who are they?" Alice asked, pointing at his two companions.  
  
"They're Donald and Goofy. We just met a little while ago. And we came from Tr-" Sora began but was suddenly jerked down by a feathered hand.  
  
He heard Donald's whispering voice in his ear. "We can't tell her where we're really from! You would be meddling with how the worlds work. Noone's supposed to know of other worlds besides their own!" he hissed and let him loose.  
  
"Are you alright?" Alice asked him. "What did he say?" she inquired as they continued to walk down a sandy path that led deeper into the forest.  
  
"I'm okay. Oh, it was nothing, he just had to remind me of something," Sora replied. "About where we came from, we came from somewhere outside Wonderland. Down a giant rabbit hole," he answered.  
  
"Really? That's how I got here! I was minding my own buisness as I took a break from my sister's teachings and then I saw the White Rabbit. I followed him, curious to know where he was going and what he was late for when I fell down the rabbit hole I followed him into, bringing me here," Alice told them, indicating the grounds of Wonderland.  
  
Goofy gasped and covered his mouth. Donald looked at him and placed his index feather over his beak. "Shhh!"  
  
"What? What did I say?" Alice asked, confused from Goofy's awkwardness.  
  
"Um... Nothing," Sora stated, glancing back at the guilty Goofy.  
  
"Either way, I'm trying to find the White Rabbit because he led me here, maybe he knows a way back out," Alice told them.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll help you get out of here if the White Rabbit doesn't, Alice," he said as they came nearer to another patch of trees.  
  
"That's very kind of you," Alice thanked him, curtseying as they stopped in front of a thick and tall, red tree.  
  
"Who posted these?" Donald asked aloud, stalking up to the tree's bark, which was covered with small, wooden posts that had words of every direction cut onto them. They walked to the right of the tree, where another tree was revealed to be covered with the carved words.  
  
"I wonder which way we should go..." Alice wondered aloud as a voice filled the air. It was a deep, sultry voice and it was singing to itself. The dark spots of the forest shining with every beat of it's rhythms.  
  
"Who do you suppose...?" Alice's voice whispered.  
  
"Loose something?" the voice came from behind them, clearer than before.  
  
"Oh!" Alice shouted in suprise as she jumped to face the person, who she assumed was male, that had been singing seconds before.  
  
"What the...?" Sora examined, seeing only a set of shining row of dull-ended white teeth floating above an outstretched tree branch.  
  
"Oh, that's quite all right," the teeth responded to Sora's suprise. "Just one moment, please," the teeth asked as two drowsy eyeballs fell into place above the teeth. "Second chorus," the voice began as he recited the unknown verse as his body's entirety faded into place.  
  
He was a plump cat that was laying on it's stomach, surrounded by his fluffy tail, swinging his paws to the words and beats of his song. He was covered in stripes all the way down to the end of his tail, made up of two shades of purple. The tip of his tail and his face were pink while his pug nose and head hair were a dark shade of burgundy. His face was the shape of banana on it's side and his teeth filled his entire cheek structure.  
  
"Why-why, you're a cat!" Alice grinned up to the newcomer.  
  
Stopping in his song, his tail raised his ears as if they were his hat in gratitude for her notice. "Cheshire Cat," he corrected, continuing on with his lyrics. His tail lashed in front of him and he began to depart behind it.  
  
"Wait! Don't go! Please!" Alice exclaimed.  
  
His tail replaced itself just above his eyes and he peeked out at her. "Very well," he replied, rendering himself back into reality.   
  
"Third choru-"  
  
"Oh, no, no, no. Thank you, but, I just wanted to ask you where you think we ought to go?" Alice asked expectantly.  
  
"Well," the Cheshire Cat began, raising his back paws into the air and folding his front legs underneath him as his eyes rolled around in their sockets. "That depends on where... you want to get too!" he said matter-of-factly, living up to his name all the time.  
  
"Oh, it really doesn't matter as long as-" Alice began.  
  
"Then it really doesn't matter...which way you go" he answered before she could finish talking. He had floated back onto the branch so that he was standing on his hind legs like a human and dived off at the end of his words, evaporating in color and then in lines as he fell.  
  
Paw prints dug into the dirt, leaving highly defined marks as they walked forward, around Sora, Alice, Goofy, and Donald's feet, and to the pathway behind them. Then the smiling cat formed atop the branch next to his markings opposite the way he had left the other, lines first, followed by color.  
  
"Oh! By the way!" he stated as he folded his paws and leaned against the tree. "If you'd really like to know, he went that way!" the Cheshire Cat said, slowly beginning to point to the right but changing to the left.  
  
"Who did?" Alice asked.  
  
"The White Rabbit," the Cheshire Cat answered with his paws on his tail.  
  
"He did!?"  
  
"He did what?"  
  
"Went that way," Alice answered by pointing in the same direction the cat had moments before.  
  
"Who did?"  
  
"The White Rabbit!" Alice answered, becoming annoyed.  
  
"What rabbit?"  
  
"But didn't you just say...! Oh dear!" Alice cried, turning away from the changing positions of the pecuilar cat.  
  
"Can you stand on your head?" he asked her, having pulled his head off his body, which was now balancing on one foot atop the talking globe.  
  
"However, if I were looking for a White Rabbit," he began, noticing her impatience. "I'd ask the Mad Hatter."  
  
"Mad Hatter?" Sora asked, turning to a sign reading the aforementioned man's name.   
  
"No, no I don't want to-" Alice replied quickly, her head shaking in agreement.  
  
"Or, there's the March Hare. In that direction," the Cheshire Cat told them, pointing the opposite of the Mad Hatter's sign.  
  
"Thanks, we'll see him," Sora pronounced, turning to the pathways to the left as Alice curtseyed him.  
  
"Of course!" the Cheshire Cat interrupted their escape. "He's mad too."  
  
"But I don't want to go among mad people!" Alice said in frustration, on the brink of tears.  
  
"Oh, you can't help that! Most everyone's mad here," the Cheshire Cat laughed at her disappointment. "You may have noticed that I'm not all together there myself," he remarked, verifying the retreating rings of his tail. A last chorus of his musical signaled the cat's exit from the forest.  
  
"Geez," Sora sighed.  
  
"If the people here are like that, we must try not to upset them," Alice advised, glancing at Sora.  
  
"Yeah. So where do you want to go now?"  
  
"I suppose to the March Hare. He sounds less insane than the Mad Hatter."  
  
"Yeah. This place is getting more weird by the minute," he said to her as they begun down the March Hare's path, signs posted on every tree that they passed.  
  
"I wonder if we'll ever find our way out of this nonsense, Sora," Alice said sadly as they continued to walk down the path leading to the March Hare.  
  
They walked the rest of the way in silence due to Alice's melancholy. She seemed to dislike Wonderland very much. Which was hard to believed since, no matter how she seemed to have transported herself to Wonderland, it was still her world at the moment.  
  
After walking along the path for fairly ten minutes, they slowly heard high-pitched singing near in the distance, breaking the silence that had been in place between the four of them.  
  
"What do you suppose...?" Alice asked rhetorically aloud, as they followed the path more urgently to where the sunlight from above could be seen outside the forest leaves, they came to yet another cottage not unlike that of the White Rabbit's.  
  
It was a two story house adorned with greys of stone and bright pink hues of paint bordering every corner's edge. The house was leaning in a crooked stance outwards toward the right, where the wooden door was fitted into the same direction. The ceiling was made of yellow lofts of hay with a block chimney protruding from its center in the opposite direction, two blue antennas elevating into the air of the surrounding, and concoted colors, of the surrounding forest trees.  
  
A maze surrounding the back of the cottage was one of the most prominent features. Its hedges were yellow in color and bent up and down in the air as if by will. The doorway to the inside of the hedges was cut out of the middle, forming a brightened archway of yellow leaves, where upon rested the hinges of a greyed wooden, door with a circle cut through its head.  
  
As they followed the chaotic pathways up to the hedges, peering into the arena formed by its walls, they saw, and heard, two oddly short men singing a song that repeated the words "A merry merry Unbrithday!" again and again over a large, rectangular table running across the yard.   
  
The table was covered by a low mist, or smoke, and it was hard to see the men's faces clearly. They were raising teapots and teacups in the air with each chorus of the song. And, as they slowly clambered along the stone path outlined with hooping, black wires to where a large pink chair was, they noticed that the music creating a pattern for the song's repetition of words was the teapots. They were spurting sounds from their snouts, which had caused the fog over the table.  
  
And as the song slowly reached its high-pitched climax, Alice's hands rang out with applouse for the performance. The men took notice of them immediately, jumping out of their chairs resting on the opposite side of the table and running toward the four intruders.  
  
"No room!"  
  
"No room!"  
  
They both shouted the same phrase, running past the rows of chairs, teacups, and teapots. Sora quirked an eyebrow at them, Donald sighing in exasperation. No room? What were they talking about? There were dozens of empty chairs to be filled.  
  
Alice looked up at them strangely also from her seat in the bulky, pink lounge chair she had placed herself in.  
  
"But we thought there was plenty of room!" she said, confused even farther by the two new men, who slowly became clear as the mist evaporated from the air.  
  
The first man, who they assumed to be the Mad Hatter because of the green hat, which was far too big for the man's head, seated upon his gray-haired head, slowly turned himself away from them in disgust. He had a nose the size of a stone that was topped by dark and grim eyebrows. He had a yellow overcoat, with a blueish-green bow tie at the base of his neck. His shirt was a darker green, familiar with the color of their surroundings, and pants of a slightly lighter hue of the same color. His tiny shoes were barely noticeable because of their dark color that blended with the ground.  
  
The other man, or rather, the other hare, was slowly marching up to them in his red overcoat and bow tie, with shirt, breeches, and shoes a dark burgundy matching his bunny nose. The coat of brownish hair that covered his body as if it were a tan led up his body frame past his whiskers and bucktooth front teeth to a patch of blond hair where his tan colored rabbit ears drooped in the air. It seemed as if they had also met the March Hare in the backyard of the Mad Hatter's home.  
  
The March Hare perched himself on the seat of a chair beside Alice and wagged his furry finger at her, while holding himself up with another hand on his knee. "Ah, but it's very rude to sit down without being invited," he said in his starch, deep voice.  
  
"I'll say it's rude! Very, very rude, indeed!" the Mad Hatter said, flustered, in his aged voice, which seemed as if it would fail on him at any second. His two front teeth were also bucktoothed and his pink tongue lay limply on the edge of his lips when he closed his mouth.  
  
"Yes. Very, very, very rude indeed," came a lazy and squeaky voice from under the lid of a yellow teapot on the table. It was a mouse wearing all pink, with a bow tie just as the March Hare and the Mad Hatter. As soon as he had spoken, he lowered his grey, droopy-eyed face back into the teapot with a click of the lid.  
  
"We're sorry," Sora told them, raising his hands out in explanation.  
  
"Yeah, ahyuk," Goofy apologized from behind him in his jiggling voice, Donald dead silent as he stood to Sora's side.  
  
"Yes. Me as well," she continued the string of apologies. "But I did enjoy your singing. And I was wondering if you could-"  
  
"You enjoyed OUR singing?!" the March Hare cried in delight at her words, frightening Alice so she would raise her hands in defense as he rushed to her side, hands together.  
  
"Oh! What delightful children!" the Mad Hatter began again, Sora noticing a label in the crook of his hat with 10/6 printed as a fraction on a piece of note-card sized paper. He raised his hands in flattery before lowering himself to the table, where his elbow splashed into a cup of tea. "And-uh!" he cried, exasperated, having noticed the cup's attachment. "Oh, my. I'm so excited!" he began again, trying to pry the wite cup from his imprisoned arm. "We never get company! You simply MUST have a cup of tea!" he said, pointing to the unlistened teacup locked over his elbow.  
  
"Yes, you must have a cup of tea!" The March Hare ordered gently, picking up a pearly white teapot. He poored it over his furry hand, the first few drops turning into a small plate, teacup, and sugar cubes before filling the newborn cup with the brown, steaming liquid.  
  
"That would be very nice!" she said eagerly, as the Mad Hatter removed the cup from his shoulder and slowly poured Sora, Donald, and Goofy cups of tea as well. "I'm sorry we interrupted your birthday party. Thank you," she said thankfully as she took the steaming cup from the March Hare, though it was soon jerked back from her grasp.  
  
"Birthday? My dear child, this is NOT a birthday party!" he said impatiently, tapping his furry fingers against the tea cup's rim, rabbit ears twining together in ignorance.  
  
"Of course not!" the Mad Hatter said matter-of-factly, before noticing the teapot resting on the pink table-cloth in front of him. He grasped it and lifted above the white rimming around his neck and letting the tea flow freely down his neck. "This is an UNbirthday party!" he continued as the tea rolled about his outstretched wrist into another teacup.  
  
"Unbirthday?" Alice questioned curiously. "I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand..." she told them, puzzeled. She reached out for the re-offered teacup and it was, yet again, jerked from her reach.  
  
"It's very simple!" he began, leaning onto the table edge knowingly. "Thirty days past s-No!" he explained before holding his hands out to signal his meaning. His right ear bending down to nuzzle his blonde patch before he began again. "An Unbirtday! Iff you have a birthday, then...you..." he said before cocking his head in befuddlement. He then lowered his head to rest it on the table and laughing. "She doesn't know what an Unbirthday is," the March Hare directed to the Mad Hatter behind his left hand, right hand pointing at Alice as his eyes rolled themselves around in their sockets.  
  
"How silly!" the Mad Hatter giggled into his hand. "I-" he began before stopping as brown bubbles filtered from his open mouth. He picked up another teapot, blue this time, and sprayed a small cloud of white mist into his mouth. "I will illuminate!" he said, turning to her while laying a hand on his chest.  
  
The March Hare flung himself into the center of the teapots before raising a teaspoon as if he were a band director and the teapots sprang to life, making musical sounds with spurts from their spouts and jiggling along with the tune.  
  
"Now, statistics prove! Prove that you've one birthday!" the Mad Hatter sung aloud and out of tune, pointing to Alice, who was smiling in glee.  
  
"Imagine! Just one birthday every year!" the March Hare piped out before continuing his ministrations on the orchestra of teapots.  
  
"Aaaah! But there are 364 UNbirthdays!" the Mad Hatter continued, indicating each finger as if to try to magically make three hundred and fifty-nine more fingers appear.  
  
"Precisely why we're gathered here today to cheer!" the March Hare finished the song, jumping into the air as if to make the pots play louder.  
  
Alice boosted herself from the pink cushions of her chair and cried, "Why, then, today is my unbirthday too!"  
  
"And mine!" Sora raised his voice in agreement.  
  
"Gawrsh, it's my unbirthday too! Ahyuk!" Goofy entered, Donald simply rolling his eyes at their absurdity, arms folded, and webbed feet tapping in boredom.  
  
"It is?!" the March Hare shouted in suprise.  
  
"What a small world this is..." the Mad Hatter said in his raspy voice, looking up into the tree-covered sky.  
  
"In that case!" he said gleefully, as if this was all a performance they did for every passerby, and bounced over to Alice, Sora, and Goofy along with the Mad Hatter, encircling their arms around the group as they began singing their earlier song once again, pushing Donald out of the way.  
  
"A very merry unbirthday!" the March Hare began, moving around the three.  
  
"To us?" Alice asked for them, flattery written across her face as the Mad Hatter removed his hat to reveal a three layered, pink cake with three candles atop its mouthwatering icing.  
  
"To you!" the Mad Hatter squeaked in reply.  
  
"A very merry unbirthday!" the March Hare repeated again.  
  
"For us?"  
  
"For you!" the March Hare replied happily as they released their grip around the three of them and the Mad Hatter handed Alice the light cake.  
  
"Now blow the candles out my dears and make your wishes come true!" taking his index finger and scooping up some icing on his fingertip, which he gobbled up hungrily.  
  
"Ahyuk!" Goofy blushed before blowing air past her shoulder at one of the candles, followed by Alice, and soon joined by Sora, who was wishing to find Riku and Kairi.  
  
As the flickering, orange flames disappeared, flickering sparkles were revealed on the candle tips, making a burning sound. Alice's smile soon disappeared and she held the cake away from her as it jumped to the sky in blue sparkles of its own accord.  
  
"A very merry unbirthday!!! To YOU!!!!!!" they sung the climax as the cake sparkles burst into fireworks. As the sparkles began to collapse to the ground, with it came the sleepy figure of the mouse that had been resting in the yellow teapot in a puff of blue smoke with an umbrella hooked to his pink overcoat as he floated silently to the ground singing a soft song.  
  
"Twinkle, twinkle little bat. How I wonder what your at. Up above the world you fly. Like a daimond in the sky," he sung in his drunkened blue-eyed gaze as hefloated into his teapot, the Mad Hatter slipping the lid quietly over them.  
  
As Alice began to clap in appreciation, she didn't notice a solemn black creature approaching her from behind. But Donald, from his place on the ground, did. He turned in suprise to Sora, who was closer to Alice.  
  
"Sora, Sora!" he cried pointing at the yellow-eyed creature as it was nearly upon her. "Help her!"  
  
Sora turned to him, confused at first, before following his finger to the dark creature. His eyes widened as it jumped, Alice only just turning to Donald, still having not noticed the Heartless behind her.  
  
"What? What? What is it?" she asked innocently as Sora lurched at her. She raised her arms in defnse as he pushed her out of the way and, weapon appearing mysteriously in his hand, swiped it away into green spheres with his Keyblade.  
  
"Oh my!" the Mad Hatter cried as the dark creatures appeared across the forest floor. "Run for your lives!" he shouted in concern for his life, taking off out of his garden as the pink covered table was over-turned by groups of Heartless covered in purple and silver armor.  
  
The March Hare followed his example and ran for his front door.  
  
Alice, having fallen to the ground, noticed with wide eyes the mysterious and deadly creatures. She pushed herself up and, maid's dress shaking, took off after the two short men.  
  
Sora could see that the two men were in the doorway and slammed the door shut, refusing to let Alice in to safety, looked through the front window and the March Hare told her, "Come back some other time for another cup of tea!"  
  
She glared at the brown covered hare. "I definitely won't be coming back here!" she shouted at him through the glass and, once again noticing the Heartless who had begun to follow her, ran off into the forest.  
  
Sora stayed back to fight and angrily sliced through the attacking Heartless. Shadows and Soldiers throwing themselves at him each in turn. He sliced quickly through the weaker of them, the Shadows, before being blocked by several Soldiers who cut at his skin with their sharpened armor.  
  
He continued to try and strike them out of his way, but the Keyblade would bounce back off the metals covering their flesh. He faintly heard the striking of metal on metal behind him as Goofy used his Smasher Shield to pummel the Heartless into more green spheres, letting them be absorbed into him to keep him healthy and energized.  
  
Sora continued to counter one of the Soldier's attacks as two others scraped his arms and face with slices of their spear-like claws. Donald, having rid two Soldiers rushing him, turned to Sora's rescue, casting Fire at the two Soldiers bashing him as Sora managed to slice through the other's revealed stomach. The destroyed Soldiers collapsing in green balls, bringing health to Sora's scarred arms.  
  
As they layed waste to the last of the Heartless and slowly gathered the munny that also collapsed from the Heartless, the turned to find that Alice was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Oh no! Where'd Alice go?! We have to find her!" he said in a worried voice.  
  
"Who cares! We need to do something important! And following that girl isn't leading us anywhere but into more trouble!" Donald quacked angrily, shaking the Morning Star clasped in his feathered hand in dispute.  
  
"I've already lost two of my friends, I'm not going to lose another!" Sora glared at Donald. "I'm going to search for Alice, I don't care if you come!" he said marching out of the garden, which was littered with shattered teapots and teacups from the seemingly thunderstruck table, and off into the forest following the path he had used to follow to the Mad Hatter's earlier except in the opposite direction.  
  
He could hear two pairs of foot steps slowly appear behind him in pursuit. He glanced back knowingly, seeing the blue and yellows of Goofy and Donald's uniforms. He was grateful that they were here with him, no matter how angry he seemed. Because, even though he was angry now, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay alive by himself at the moment, seeing how weak he was against the earlier Heartless. And even if he could, he would still need to get off this world somehow, and Donald and Goofy were his only answers at the moment.  
  
They marched silently through the forest, Sora glancing this way and that in search of Alice as they once again entered a cluster of trees. It seemed to have been hours since they had been blowing out a candle for their unbirthday party and they hadn't spoken since. It was almost as if they were walking through a graveyard.  
  
"And the momeraths outgrabe!" came a deep singing voice behind them. They jumped, startled, before turning to see the pink and purple smiling cat. "Looking for someone?" the Cheshire Cat asked knowingly.  
  
"Oh! It's you! Yes, we're looking for Alice. Do you know what happened to her?" Sora asked the cat desperately.  
  
"Well, what I can tell you is that she stumbled across the almighty ruler of this world!" he said, mockingly forming a patch of black hair tied up in a bun before it disappeared again to his normal fur colors. "And what WILL happen, if someone doesn't get their soon, will be a tragedy. For Alice's sake at least," he smiled despicably.  
  
"Ruler? Where is Alice now?! If she's in trouble we have to save her!" Sora said heroically, slicing his balde through the empty air to prove his point.  
  
"Don't tell me?! You haven't met the Queen?!" he cried in suprised glee. "You hav-en't?!" he asked again, rhetorically, before rolling across the tree limb he was seated on in laughter.  
  
"Can you just tell us how we can find her?!" Sora asked angrily, glaring up at the laughing feline.  
  
"Well, it depends. Just how fast do you want to get there?" he asked with a smirk, tail waving in the air.  
  
"As fast as possible!" Sora cried anxiously.  
  
"Alright then. I suppose you would want the shortcut!" he said, reaching up to grasp a loose treebranch and pull down on it. The trunk of the tree slowly creaked open, an opera of light freeing itself from the opening.  
  
"Woah...," Sora said in awe as he looked through the hole. A green, hedged maze ran along the ground from the opening inside to open up to a clear lawn where there was a giant court in place, overshadowed by a tall, black and white palace. And there, upon the stand, was Alice.  
  
"Alice! There she is!" Sora cried in joy at seeing the blonde girl. He glanced up to the Cheshire Cat. "Thanks!" he said gratefully to the fading feline.  
  
"Don't thank me yet!" he grinned before fading away. "And the momeraths outgrabe!" he cried with his disapearance, though it was not heard by the three rescuers who rushed into the maze grounds toward the stand.  
  
They rushed up through the courtyard, where the Jury, the Judge, and the Defendant, Alice, were set up in their rightful places. As they entered, they noticed several dispatched cards, carrying spears and axes, black and red in color, as guards. Before they could enter the court too far, the cards jabbed their weapons in their way.  
  
"Noone must enter the court while the trial is taking place!" a red card explained.  
  
"Or they will face the wrath of the Queen of Hearts!" a black card finished, poking Sora once before they once again stood in a line to guard Alice, who was on the stand, from escaping if she tried to flee.  
  
They stopped in place in front of the court, where the grass turned to a blue floor with hearts embroidered over each tile.  
  
"Your Majesty," came a raspy, desperate voice from up above beside who Sora assumed to be the Queen of Hearts. It was the White Rabbit! So this is where he had been running off too. He was in his uniform with his heart banner and bowing to the Queen. "Members of the jury," he continued, bowing to them also. "Loyal subjects," he said, nodding to Sora, Donald and Goofy as he pulled out a scroll which he loosened to let it roll slwly to the ground. A heart shaped scepter tapped on the White Rabbit's shoulder.  
  
It was held by a man wearing a crown and red and white garments that draped to his feet. He was a small man, smaller than the Mad Hatter and the March Hare had been, with red hair and a miniscule, almost unseeable mustache. The White Rabbit glanced at him. "And the King," he said lazily as the King of Hearts removed his crown as if it was a hat as if he expected an applause.  
  
"The prisoner of the bar is charged with attempted theft of the heart of the Queen of Hearts. Her majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding," he bowed to the Queen after reading the long paper, though his speech had been rather short.  
  
The Queen of Hearts was seated on a chair that was hearts and other odd designs. The King was seated in a similar chair, but instead he was standing atop a mountain of books piled on the chair. She had her pitch black hair back in a bun, held by a red ribbon, with a small crown that was thinner in width than a normal crown. She had a set of golden earrings that dangled from her small ears and was barely noticeable because of the white collar that surrounded her head. Her body was plump and huge in comparison to her tiny husband. Her royal robes were a series of blacks and reds that crossed sides in opposition, where her lower dress split into a yellow and black arrow desing to wear her dress ended at her feet. Her face seemed almost kind with her large nose, fluttering eyelashes and thin lipstick, so thin it could barely be seen.  
  
"This girl is the culprit. And the reson is...because I say so, that's why!" the Queen shouted angrily as the jury, which Sora noticed to be a group of oddly colored animals, quickly wrote down her words. The King did nothing and sat obediently while holding the gavial and wincing when his wife shouted.  
  
Alice who shook her head in despair. "But that is so unfair! I've done nothing wrong!" she cried innocently.  
  
"Well, do you have anything to say in your defense?" the Queen smiled evilly and leaning on the ledge of her sitting place.  
  
"Of course I do! You may be Queen, but that doesn't give you the right to be so mean and unreasonable! I was only running for my life with that creature-"  
  
"SILENCE!!!" she ordered angrily, face growing red as she glared at the young girl below her. "You dare defy me?!"  
  
Sora watched hesitantly from the sidelines as Alice was interrogated. "We have to do something!" he persisted to Donald and Goofy.  
  
"Yeah, but the-" Donald began.  
  
"We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?" Goofy interjected.  
  
"'Meddling'!" Donald corrected angrily.  
  
"Oh, yeah. And that's against the rules," Goofy finished, smiling.  
  
"But she's in trouble. And that Queen isn't-"  
  
"The court finds the defendant...GUILTY AS CHARGED!!!" the Queen of Hearts bellowed. Alice took a step back in the stand from her ferociousness. "For the crimes of assault, and attempted theft of my heart," she supplied her reasons. "OFF WITH HER HEAD!!!" she ordered, pointing at Alice with her own Heart Scepter, as the cards jumped to apply their duties.  
  
Alice held her hands in defense as the cards rushed forward with their spears and axes. "No, no! Oh, please!!!" she cried desperately.  
  
Sora couldn't stand there and watch one of his new friends be unfairly accused and subjected to punishment for a crime she didn't commit. He knew who the real enemy was...  
  
"Wait!" Sora clamored, throwing his Keyblade forward to knock down the cards obeying the Queen's orders.   
  
"Who are you!? And how dare you interfere with my court!?" she demanded, slamming her fists against her table.  
  
"Excuse me, your Majesty. We know who the real culprit is!" he explained to her in desperation for Alice's life.  
  
"Uh-huh! It's the Heartle-" Goofy began, clasping his gloved hands over his mouth knowing he had revealed too much.  
  
Sora glanced at him, then turned his attention back to the Queen. "Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for," he told her.  
  
"That's nonsense! Have you any proof?" she grinned as if she knew he didn't.  
  
"Um....n-no..." he blushed.  
  
"Then...OFF WITH THEIR HEA-eads... What?!" she asked the King angrily, as he tapped on her shoulder with her scepter.  
  
He clung to the desk to keep from being blown away by her breath. He quickly gathered himself back together. "Well, why don't we give them some time to gather some evidence? Hmm? Wouldn't that be nice? Hmm? What do you say?" he questioned her hopefully. He seemed to be a kind man who didn't want to see Alice lose her head, but he also seemed to be under his wife's thumb.  
  
"Well....alright!" she told him as he jumped gleefully. "Bring me evidence in Alice's defence!" she ordered them. "Fail, and it's off with all of your heads. Gather as much or little evidence as you please. Report back here once you're ready to present. In the meantime...Alice will be my prisoner!" she smirked as one of the black spaded cards took Alice by the shoulders and stuffed her into a cage next to the Queen.  
  
Sora turned to Donald and Goofy. "Sorry, I couldn't just let her have her head cut off," he said in apology, rubbing the back of his head and smiling.  
  
"It's alright, Sora. She doesn't diserve to be beheaded anyway. We'll help!" Goofy replied as Donald sighed and nodded in agreement.  
  
"Sora! Sora!" Alice called from her cage. He rushed over to her, where the guard watched them suspiciously and wearily. "Oh, thank you so much Sora! I'm sorry you got mixed up in this nonsense!"  
  
"Why are you on trial anyway?" he asked.  
  
"Well, you know those creatures that attacked the Mad Hatter's party? They chased me into the forest where the Cheshire Cat helped me by showing me my way here. I came running for help, but as soon as I reached the Queen, the creature stopped following me and attacked her. Though I know she is mean, I'm glad that creature didn't get her before the guards killed it. Though I do wish she wouldn't blame me for this mishap!" she explained.  
  
"That's terrible! I don't know how, but we're going to find a way to help you, Alice!" he consoled her as she frowned sadly.  
  
"I'm glad, I just wish none of this had every happened. I suppose I'm a little too curious for my own good!" she sad, beginning to cry.  
  
"Silence! The defendant will be quiet!" he ordered and turned a wheel that was beside him, forcing the small cage up to where the Queen was seated farther up in the air. As the cover of the cage began to close Alice shouted urgently to him, "Sora! Ask the Cheshire Cat what to do! He'll-" and her voice was drowned out by the encasement.  
  
"...Well...let's go, you guys!" he said, taking off for the opening they had entered through from the forest, passing a heart shaped hedge above them as they re-entered the dreary forest.  
  
They found gloom and darkness as they sped into the grassy tundra. Sora looked up to the tree he had last seen the Cheshire Cat near. He was gone. But where, exactly?  
  
"Cheshire Cat! Cheshire Cat!" he echoed through the forest. He could here that sultry voice coming nearer, singing his logo song.  
  
"And the momeraths outgrabe!!!" the Cheshire Cat signaled his entrance as he formed above the tree once again.  
  
"Now what do you want?" he grinned.  
  
"We-we need your help! Alice's in trouble and we need you to-to... We need you to tell us where we can find the evidence of Alice's defense," he clarified in anxiousness.  
  
"For Alice's defense you need to show the Queen of Hearts the truth. The truth you seek, and the evidence it withholds lies within this box," he smiled, throwing a pink box that appeared into the air and laughing slightly as it bounce off of Donald's hat and fell into Sora's arms. "Or maybe it does not?"  
  
"How do we know this isn't a trick?!" Donald asked irritatedly, Sora glaring at him.  
  
"To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!" the Cheshire Cat said, pleasured at seeing Donald's confused glare.  
  
"Now we can save Alice!" he said eagerly.  
  
"Don't be so sure! She may be innocent, but what about you?" the cat questioned him.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Donald raged.  
  
"I won't tell, but I'll give you this," he answered, holding open his right paw where a glittering light shot down and surrounded Donald and Sora. "And the momeraths outgrabe!" he sung silently and mysteriously, disappearing in the night.  
  
"What did he do?!" Sora asked Donald in panic.  
  
"Somehow, he gave us the experience we needed to learn how to use the Blizzard spell...,"Donald replied.  
  
"What kind of evidence do you suppose is inside?" he asked curiously, turning his attention back to the box and peeling the lid slightly open to peer inside. The lid burst open wide and threw him to the ground as a Heartless took off through the opened tree-hole for the court.  
  
"A HEARTLESS!!!" Sora roared in suprise, chasing it through the maze to the court where the Queen sat, unexpecting the oncoming creature.  
  
As the Soldier Heartless lumbered up the courtyard and across the heart embroidered tiles, carelessly making plenty of creaks and clangs, the Queen finally took notice of her danger.  
  
"Guards! Dispose of that thing, immediately!" she roared frantically.  
  
"Immediately! Immediately! Just as the Queen ordered!" the King edged the numbered cards to fight back against the unknown, to them at least, creature. As the cards fought to hold the Heartless back, it jumped high over their heads, aiming its talons directly at the Queen's chest...where her heart presided...  
  
"Look out, your Majesty!!!" he cried, summoning the power within him to call forth his newfound magic spell. He was too far way to attack it physically and jumped into the air where he was and cast, "BLIZZARD!" at the predator Heartless. Blue crystals shot from the end of his Keyblade through the sky and barely collided with the Soldier, though it hit him hard enough to make him collapse into munny and green health.  
  
"There's your evidence, Queen! Alice's innocent!" he told her, running through the shocked guards and to the wheel beside the card keeping Alice prisoner in the cage. He pushed the card aside as it tried to ward him off with its axe and snapped the wheel off with a cut through the air from his Keyblade. The cage dropped instantly. And inside was...  
  
"What?! This can't be happening?! Where'd Alice go?!" Sora asked aloud, eyes wide with suprise.  
  
"How dare you?! You used that creature as a pawn to set free the prisoner and hide her?!" the Queen of Hearts thundered, enraged.  
  
"What?! That He-creature is the criminal! And Alice was already gone!" he defended himself.  
  
"NONSENSE! Alice is the criminal! Article 29 clearly states 'Anyone who defies the Queen of Hearts is guilty'! OFF WITH THERE HEADS!!!!!!!!!" she shouted, jumping down from her thrown and leading the cards after Sora as he and Donald and Goofy took off running from the cards, which multiplied in number.  
  
They ran down to the opening where the tree in the forest had led them in. He glanced back to see the Queen coming ever closer followed by all her cards, The White Rabbit, the jury, and the King. He turned back as they entered the forest, but saw that he was nowhere in sight of the forest. He was on a shadowed green lawn where the mayor, Dodo, was leading the march of animals and him, along with Donald and Goofy, followed by the Queen and all her followers in a circle just as he had before. Except there were no crashing waves this time.  
  
They broke off from the group hopping over jutting stones as he followed the green lawn down the hill as Heartless formed slowly out of the ground. There was no way he could take on the Queen and the Heartless at the same time, so he continued tracking across the field, slashing at any Heartless that jumped in his way.  
  
He glanced back again to make sure that Donald and Goofy were keeping up, Goofy crying out in fright as the Queen drew closer. He turned back and was in a completely different setting. He was running along the pink covered table of the Mad Hatter's backyard. "Wha-!?" he quirked his brow. But he didn't dare stop, even though the Heartless had picked off a few of the cards, he knew they were still in greater number than he was.  
  
Suddenly the two Unbirthday givers appeared out of nowhere, clutching and tearing at his arms.  
  
"You can't leave a teaparty without having a cup of tea, you know!" the green covered Mad Hatter declared, pulling him to where a collosal teacup appeared in front of them.  
  
"Leave us alone! The Queen! She'll catch us if we don't keep going!" he said, trying his best to fight off their suddenly strong arms.  
  
"Ah, but we insist! You simply must have a cup of tea!" he said, the Mad Hatter pulling him up the spoon of the teacup, the March Hare pushing the three of them up so that they were diving into the brown liquid.  
  
He took a deep breath before splashing into the tea. He swam for what he believed to be the surface. As he broke through, he saw the sky, which had grown into a blood red.  
  
"Come on, hurry!" he urged Donald and Goofy as he glanced behind him, flinging his arms continuously so that he kept moving over the tea.  
  
"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!!!" she bellowed once again to the swimming cards. She was, herself, seated on the feet of a bird who was floating in the tea on its beak, another bird skimming her along the surface by pushing her.  
  
He turned back to his surroundings, Goofy and Donald's splashing of feathers and gloves could be heard behind him. He came to a large mushroom, not looking to see what was on it before pulling himself up.  
  
"Who are YOU?" a voice cried and he glanced up to see a blue caterpillar glaring down at the three of them before they were engulfed in smoke. He coughed as he swallowed half of it and suddenly felt something solid beneath his feet. And took off running again as the smoke billowed around them and formed a tunnel.  
  
"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!!!" the Queen of Hearts' voice rang out again. "Don't let the culprits get away!" she ordered the cards rushing after her.  
  
Sora looked ahead to a door floating in midair and as he slowly felt the ground fall from beneath his feet he ordered, "JUMP!!!" and launched himself to the door. He grabbed ahold to the golden knob as he realized that this was the same door he had entered into Wonderland. The one that talked.  
  
He felt Donald and Goofy's hands grab onto his ankle, tugging him down slightly so that he could see through the Keyhole into the many colored tiles. There, rushing frantically around, though he wasn't sure why, was Alice.  
  
He turned the Doorknob, despite its protests, and pryed it open with his other hand. Grabbing hold to the tile behond the boundaries of the door, he pulled himself through. As he was gathered into the room, he turned to help Donald and Goofy in, who were holding onto his ankle for dear life as the Queen was circling below.  
  
Having pulled them in, he reached quickly out to the otherside of the door and slammed it shut. Having done that he turned to see...  
  
"What's going on here?!" he barked angrily to the empty room, the glass table in its center laden with the bottle he had used to grow small.  
  
"Could you be quiet now that you're done trying to kill me?" the Doorknob asked angrily. Sora turned to him as the Doorknob yawned lazily. "I'm trying to get some sleep!" he continued with another yawn. "So, good night!" he finished, drooping sleepily.  
  
"I didn't know Doorknob's could get sleepy..." Goofy said oddly.  
  
"Well, they usually don't talk either, do they?" Donald replied, glaring at him because of his idiocy.  
  
"I guess not, ahyuk!" he said, giggling at his own absurdity.  
  
"Now what?" Sora asked Donald as he turned to look at the duck. "I could've sworn I saw Alice in her through that Doorknob's keyhole...," he said, crestfallen.  
  
"I really don't understand what's going on here. Something was supposed to happen when we entered a world! But I haven't noticed anything odd or special at all!" Donald said exasperatedly.  
  
"Are you sure about that?" a deep, rich voice asked him.  
  
"Of course I'm sure! I-" Donald stopped, turning to the glass table where the purple feline was watching them intently.  
  
"Cheshire Cat! Do you know where Alice is now?!" he said, rushing up to the table where the bottle shook, dangerous of falling, from Sora's steps.  
  
"Of course! The Cheshire Cat knows all the answers, but doesn't always tell," he grinned mischeviously. "For one, I know that this world is not the world in which you are trying to save in the great scheme of worlds. This is just the beginning for beginners such as you, since the best way of beginning for beginners is at the beginning!" he told them happily, leaning back on his haunches.  
  
Donald stood staring at the white teeth of the Cheshire Cat. He knew that there were other worlds...? And that they weren't from this world...? But how could he know that...?  
  
"And about Alice, she's closer than you think... The shadows were with her last time we met," he said mysteriously.  
  
"Where'd they go?" Goofy asked him, still oblivious to the fact that this world's resident knew more than he should.  
  
"This way, that way? Does it matter?" he answered and questioned rhetorically, pushing himself up onto his two backfeet so he stood up almost as tall as Sora did since he was on the glass table.  
  
"The shadows will be here soon. Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad," he continued, shaking his head in mock sadness for them as he faded away into the air.  
  
"What do you think he meant?" Donald asked Sora.  
  
"Waaaahhh!" Goofy cried suddenly, eyes wide and running stark mad for the other side of the room.  
  
"What is it you big paloo-" Donald asked angrily before turning to meet a large, black foot squashing him into the tiled floor.  
  
"Woah!" Sora said, jumping out of the way of its other foot so as to not meet the same fate as the flattened duck.  
  
Sora and Goofy stared up into the ten yellow eyes of a monster Heartless that stood completely up to the ceiling. The tile-covered room was already huge, so the enemy had plenty of room to move its paper, black arms and to attack the trio. The black heel still pressing down hard on to the helpless white duck led up to its red covered legs. But, instead of having one leg, it split into two directions from the purple socket of its ankle, forming a daimond shape. Its shoulders were covered with a heavily designed black, red, and yellow cloth and curled up into small spikes. Its five heads, alternating in red and black hues from its neck up, were leaning like a layered cake.  
  
Its paper, black arms, which folded back and forth from each side, held two scepters, with thin ovals with the pattern of the Cheshire Cat's tail, in both its talon-fingered hands.  
  
Before they could move, the boy and his friend were swiped to the floor with one thin sweep of the ovaled scepters. As it did so, its body leaned on the tip of its axe-shaped boots, freeing Donald from his suffocating imprisonment, who literally flew to the opposit doors of the Doorknob. Focusing its attack mainly on Sora and Goofy, Donald jumped as high into the air as he could, casting embers on the paper-like appendages.  
  
Its center joint, purple as the others and just below its small chest piece, glowed white as the inferno quickly dissipated from the burning arms. After pummeling Goofy and Sora once more so that they were laying on the floor tiles, it turned its assault onto the agitated duck.  
  
It reached out its scepter, smacking Donald's weapon, the Morning Star, from his grasp to the other side of the room. The tile colors slowly faded from the room as a low shadow fell over the battleground. As another arm rang past Donald's shoulder, Goofy was jumping up and attacking his glowing center joint with the gleaming shield.  
  
Sora ran to join Goofy's attack just as the scepters tips, as if they were candles, lit with flames. As it swirled its weapons, it pointed them each, seperately, at its two attackers and speeding bullets covered in fire collided with them, one bouncing off the steel of Goofy's shield, with the other damaging human flesh.  
  
"Uuuh!" Sora voiced aloud in pain as he was threw back as his chest lit with flames.   
  
"Blizzard!" came a helping voice as icy sparkles lowered the pain of his burning chest. Donald then turned his attention on the crisping scepters, casting more blizzards and putting out each as they came near him.  
  
"Take THAT!" Goofy's voice echoed around the room as a loud banging of steel on metal followed. The Trickmaster fell to the ground in an unconcious heap of colors. Several health spheres released from its joints with its collapse.  
  
They charged the fallen creature, cutting, magicking, and slicing through the oddly proportioned form. They were doing the creature major damage as its paper arms were slowly decapitating into ashes. Sora, having recovered the air in his chest from his last hit, banged the Keyblade's metal against its center joint. The purple orb glowed ominously before the dark creature sprang to life as if it hadn't been hurt at all.   
  
As it spread out its arms as if they were curtains being uncovered for a play, they jerked and fell to the ground. The middle section of its right arm had benn shredded, the remaining bits of its paper arms fell to the ground and faded away with the hand's scepter.  
  
As much as a Heartless could glare, the Trickmaster shot daggers at them with its yellow eyes. Donald laughed scornfully at the creature's anger before jumping up and throwing a fire spell at it, knocking it back and causing it to shake.  
  
As it stilled, Goofy having taken up his attack on the center orb of the creature's body, it held out its other scepter, knocking Donald, who was trying to rush for safety to no avail, against the wall harder than it had hit so far, putting the gasping duck out of commission. Sora watched horrified as it threw Goofy against the sleeping Doorknob just as roughly as it had the mage, the poor knight falling over with an "Ahyuk."  
  
The creature smiled its deformed grin down to him.  
  
"Need some help?" a familiar voice spoke aloud to the challenged child. Sora stole a glance at where the purple feline formed on the table between the Trickmaster's feet. He smiled as much as ever, seeming not to feel any danger at all from the horrible creature above him.  
  
"Cheshire Cat!! Yes, yes!!! I do!!!" Sora clamored hopefully, running past the gloomy arms that reached down to swat him away from the glass table.  
  
He stopped in front of the grinning cat, who looked up expectantly at him. "Aren't you the Keybearer, child? And yet you seem as helpless as poor, little Alice..." he smirked.  
  
"Yes...I am...but-HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?!" Sora bellowed angrily as he moved from the shifting boots of the Trickmaster, who was trying to move himself in a posititon to hit the hidden boy.  
  
"I've told you before, the Cheshire Cat knows all."  
  
"Do you know a way I can survive this Heartless, then?! I'm running out of time!" Sora told him, glancing at the form of the Trickmaster, who was slowly moving himself into a striking station.  
  
"Of course. It would be a pity if the Keyblade Master couldn't use more than one spell, wouldn't it? A pity for all the poor hearts that would lose them," the Cheshire Cat replied. "Since this is your first, let me grant you your second of what you will have seven which will have, themselves, four upgrades of spells," the Cheshire Cat continued, holding out a paw, where the sparkle of snowflakes fell across his fur.  
  
"But how?!" Sora asked, still confused by the cat's words but getting the gist at the forming of a Blizzard spell.  
  
"Take it you'll need it..." the feline commanded as his spirals slowly faded away in circles.  
  
As he disappeared into the air, Sora caut the snowflake.  
  
"Wha-?!" he gasped as he froze over, covered in ice and becoming an unmoving solid. The Trickmaster, having finally found him, swiped quickly. Sora's frozen eyes stared at the incoming scepter, feeling betrayed. As the baton skidded over his frozen flesh, it retreated almost immediately. Sora felt as if he was melting and didn't see anything that was happened as he closed his eyes from the icy pain.  
  
Suddenly, he felt normal, unfrozen and mobile. He opened his eyes to see sparkling white flakes shooting through the air around the layered head of the frighted Trickmaster. The flakes, unnormal in their creation, sliced through the creature's body as if they were paper shredders. As the Heartless raised its hand in defense, a flake knocked rod out of its hands.  
  
As the flakes continued, by the time they had faded away the Trickmaster was rugged and drooping. The center orb that seemed as if its powerpoint was dimming with every second, and, seeing his chance, Sora galloped to the fallen Heartless, slicing through the orb in its weak state.  
  
The creature looked up sadly as the orb split apart, revealing a small, glimmering purple heart. Released of its prison, the heart shot out into the air as it, itself, began to crack down its middle before diminishing in the open air. With it faded the shadow over the room, revealing the dazzling colors of the tiled walls.  
  
The Heartless shuddered in front of the Keybearer as he ran for safe ground as the Trickmaster collapsed. It landed flat, with its head standing up straight on the ground. It shimmered and faded in the light as the black paper that made up its head was unloosed and faded open revealing a shaking girl in a blue maid's dress.  
  
"Alice!" Sora voiced cheerfully as he ran to meet her.  
  
"Sora! It's you! I was wondering where I was!" she said, enveloping him in her arms thankfully. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't saved me! When the Queen locked me up some odd creature formed inside the cage while I was in the air. I tried pushing it out, but it caused a shadow to surround me and I appeared here. I saw the Cheshire Cat just as that creature you saved me from picked me up and dropped me in a dark place that was as small as the Queen's cage!" she explained to him as she unfolded herself from his arms.  
  
"While I was there, something was pulling at me. Gripping at....at...right here" she said, patting her hand against her chest, where her heart was beating somewhere inside her. "Oh, I didn't think I'd survive! If it wasn't for you Sora! You and your-what happened to them?" she asked, eyes wide as she stared at the unconcious duo, Goofy and Donald.  
  
"Oh, they'll be alright! They just need some items!" he said, turning and moving to where Donald was breathing slowly. He reached into one of the many pockets that he had saw Donald fill after they had visited Huey, Dewey, and Louie's shop. He pulled out a small vial, that had steaming green liquid inside. He pulled the cork and tilted up the duck's beak, pooring the fluid down Donald's throat.  
  
He groaned in anguish as he swallowed the potion. "What happened?" he asked drowsily, putting a hand to his head as he swayed from side to side.  
  
"It's alright Donald, I took care of that Heartless, don't worry," Sora answered, pulling out another vial from Donald's pocket.  
  
"That Heartless...?" he asked, confused at first. His eyes widened in realization as the boy walked over to where Goofy lay and repeated the same steps he had used on Donald, Alice following him close behind.  
  
"You okay Goofy?" Sora asked the knight as he came around conciousness.  
  
"Ahyuk, yeah..." he said doozily. "But have stars always flew around this room?" he asked, dazed.  
  
"Sora what did you-?" Donald began as he stalked over to the teenager before a sleepy voice interrupted him.  
  
"What a racket! How's a doorknob ever to get any sleep around here?" the golden Doorknob said with a yawn.  
  
"Hey! Don't you know it's not polite to interrupt peop-.... Sora! What is that?!" Donald, wide-eyed, asked the tired boy as a beaming light flowed from the inside of the Doorknob's mouth.  
  
Sora peered inside. "I'm not sure, but-woah!" nearly falling over as the Keyblade appeared in his hands, quaking eagerly, Sora held out the trembling key.  
  
"What-?" Alice asked curiously as a strand of white light connected to the light inside the Doorknob's mouth from Sora's Keyblade.  
  
A clicking sound resounded around the room as the gleaming light faded and the Doorknob closed its eyes and jaws. Donald stood in shock as Sora let the Keyblade fall to his side and Goofy limped beside him, nonplused.  
  
With a final cough, which sent a small, blue shard bouncing to the their feet, the Doorknob fell to slepp, snoring loudly every so often.  
  
"Well, I do believe that was an exciting finale! Bravo, Keyblade master!" a voice echoed across the room.  
  
"Cheshire Cat! I'm so glad to see you again!" she said gladly.  
  
"Ahyuk, a Gummi block..." Goofy announced to Donald and Sora, bending over to gather the small daimond shape into his gloved hand. "Doesn't look normal though."  
  
"Give it here!" Donald barked angrily, snatching the shard from Goofy's hands. "Hmm... You're right, Goofy. I've never seen a Gummi block like this one..."  
  
"A Gummi block...?" Sora asked, unknowingly.  
  
"It's the stuff we use to build Gummi ships, but this one isn't like the kind we use..." Donald replied.  
  
"I do say, Keyblade Master, that you shall have to improve your improvements before you can accomplish what you are meant to do. This is no job for simplings such as yourselves. But you'll find, that now you'll be able to use another spell now..." the grinning cat spoke to them, Alice standing next to his place on the see-through table.  
  
"Either way, that was a show of innate talent, that display. Your powers will bloom true, if I do say. Keep it up and you'll be a florist someday!" he continued joyfully. "But now that you've found what you've looked to find, I blieve it is time you find your way to someplace that you need to be..." the Cheshire Cat recommended as he faded away.  
  
"Sora, I want to thank you for all you've done. Now that I've found my way back here, I can return home up the rabbit hole I came through. Thank you all," Alice curtseyed to them in graciousness.  
  
"There's something special about you, Sora. Don't let what nearly happened to me happen to you," she added as she began for the red-tiled wall.  
  
"Hey, wait up! We'll join you!" he said, uniting with her as they began to search along the tiles for the door that had led them to Wonderland, Donald slipping the Gummi block into a blue pocket before he and Goofy joined the search.  
  
"Ah! Here it is!" she said in excitement, pushing open a loose tile so that it folded backwards where the other doors were already open. She pushed herself through to the other side, Sora following after squeexing through himself. "I wonder what my sister shall say when we meet again. She probably want believe a word I say!" she huffed, walking past the crooked wall.  
  
"Help me!" Goofy whispered to Donald in urgency being stuck again as Sora followed the blonde girl around the crooked wall.  
  
He noticed the crimson curtains at once, the shadowed hall, and the floating furniture. All of different proportions while in Wonderland. "I'll be so happy to have returned home! i don't know what I'd have done if I had never returned. I'd probably have lost my head because of that wicked Queen," she said angrily in her memory of the Queen of Hearts as she stood in the center of the rabbit hole, clocks ticking and dinging in the air.  
  
"WAAAGH!!!!" the voices of Donald and Goofy shouted as they shot from around the corner and collided against the wall, Donald being squashed by his companion.  
  
"Get off of me!" Donald snapped as he kicked the knight to the floor with one of his feet.  
  
Alice giggled gently as her feet idly raised from the ground. "Oh!" she gasped as she flipped upside down as she floated up into the brick-built rabbit hole. She looked down to her saviors and waved. "Goodbye Sora, Donald, and Goofy! I owe my life to you..." she finished as she faded into the shadows of the ceiling.  
  
Sora leaned against the wire of the curtains. "There goes another friend," he sighed.  
  
"Sora, we should get back to the Gummi ship...maybe we'll find your friends in another world...?" the duck uttered silently as he saw the sad grimace on the boy's face.  
  
"I used to wish me and my friends could visit other places, or worlds, someday and get off my islands. We would talk all the time about it, we was even building a raft that we though might help us get to another world. Then, one night, a storm called and the creatures you call the Heartless appeared. One of my friends, Riku, told me that I should go with him just before he was taken by a pool of shadows, that's when I got the Keyblade," he told them, shifting his eyes to look at the mentioned weapon, not noticing Donald narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he told them of Riku. "And then my other friend, Kairi, disappeared just as I found her. And then I met one gigantic Heartless and then I woke up in Traverse Town."  
  
"Now, without my friends, I just wish we could've lived on the islands forever. At least we would've been together. I didn't want any of this" he said angrily, throwing the Keyblade down the hall, Donald and Goofy gasping. Where it would've smashed into the wall, it vanished, reappearing in Sora's hands. He sighed exasperatedly.  
  
"So...now what, you guys?" he asked, pushing off from the curtain stand. Let's use the save point to go to the Gummi-woah!" Donald squawked as the ground began to shake, causing him to nearly falling to the ground if it weren't for Sora's helping hand.  
  
"What's going on?!" Sora asked. He could here a distant echoe. As it bounced off the walls and neared them it gained power.  
  
"Alice! Alice!" an older woman's voice cried impatiently from somewhere unseen.  
  
"Let's get outta here!" Goofy offered, running to where the Save Point was glowing in the center of the rabbit hole. Donald and Sora quickly joined him on the glowing circle, Donald smashing at some of the buttons on his blue commander watch.  
  
"COME ON, STUPID THING!!!!!" he said, smashing it with his feathered hands.  
  
They were enveloped in the white light of the save point. And, at once, appeared on the ledge of the Gummi ship.  
  
"What's happening to that place?!" Sora asked them as Wonderland slowly began to dissolve in space.  
  
"I don't know! That's not supposed to happen.  
  
"Alice! Alice! Would you kindly repeat your History lesson?" the woman's voice echoed throughout the empty universe before falling silent with the vanishing of the world.  
  
"That's...I don't get it...," Sora muttered to himself at the glowing stars that were in the place of what was once the world of Wonderland.  
  
"Let's go ahead inside. We need to get going. The mission is never over, so we shouldn't waste much time except for finding the world's Keyholes. Since that's what we're looking for now," Donald voiced to them, walking into the blue interior of the Gummi ship as Sora and Goofy followed. The duck pushed up a button beside the ledge hanging out from the Gummi ship, causing the ledge to slowly raise back up to seal the openings of the ship.  
  
Donald waddled into the inner room, passing two chipmunks who were working on some pipes. Sora stared at them, and, following his gaze, Donald answered his unspoken question. "They're the ngineers, Chip and Dale."  
  
He charged up into the cockpit and sat himself into one of the blue chairs, spinning to the computer screen. He clicked a few buttons here and there as Sora settled onto a similar fluffy, blue chair behind where Donald and Goofy commanded the console.   
  
"Next world is called Prydain... Looks kind of medieval to me," Donald quacked.  
  
"What? Let me see," Sora asked, peering over Donald's shoulder to the computer screen. The world had a small cottage with a hay roof on the bottom of the world, a gigantic black fortress on the top, a forest on the right, and a small swamp with a dreary cottage in its depths on left.  
  
"That looks creepy... Definitely darker than Wonderland had been," Sora gave his opinion.  
  
"Yes, and the Heartless are supposed to be stronger in this world," Donald told him.  
  
"Well...let's get going!" Sora stated them excitedly.  
  
"Goofy, you take over while I talk to Sora about something," Donald said to Goofy.  
  
"Ahyuk, sure!" Goofy replied gleefully, taking the controls in his hands as if he were playing a video game.  
  
"You probably have some questions about what happened when Alice asked you where we came from and I told you not to tell her where. Well, every world is defined by its particulay boundaries. Within which some understanding of reality emerges as truth," Donald began. "Two truths cannot coexist. And so, from the introduction of foreign bodies, conflicts and chaos are spawned. That's why we try to limit our involvement in local affairs. We can help people out but we just can't tell them a lot about ourselves, where we come from, and about our histories," Donald explained.  
  
"Oh...well, that does make sense..." Sora nodded after listening to Donald's explanation. Suddenly, gravity pulled the two of the forward, and if not for the seatbelts on the chairs, they probably would've been thrown out of the window.  
  
"We're here!!!!" Goofy cried happly as the Gummi ship came to a sudden halt.  
  
"Alright, let's sleep up here for the night and wait until morning to go into Prydain," Donald told them. "I'll put up the barriers so the Heartless ships don't do anything suprising while we're asleep," he said, pushing a button, before unbuckling his belt and walking to the back of the cockpit where a built in shelf was. He opened the cupboards and pulled out three small, suare plastic bags. He threw two of them to Sora and Goofy.  
  
Sora read the words 'Sleeping Bags made by Sand Man co.' printed across the plastic. He ripped open the plastic and threw it over to one of the trash cans before unrolling the blue and black sleeping black and climbing inside the covers. Donald hit a switch turning out the lights in the cockpit before settling himself in a sleeping bag beside Goofy, who was in the middle of the two of them.  
  
"Ahyuk, good night!" Goofy said before falling silent.  
  
"Good night..." Donald and Sora said in unison before falling into their own dreams of talking cats and screaming queens.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay! Chapter List(Includes the world in the previous Chapters) so far along with the next:  
  
Chapter 1: Intro/Dive To The Heart  
  
Chapter 2: Destiny Islands Day 1  
  
Chapter 3: Destiny Islands Day 2  
  
Chapter 4: Traverse Town Beginnings  
  
Chapter 5: Wonderland(Alice In Wonderland)  
  
Chapter 6: Prydain(The Black Cauldron/Next Chapter!)  
  
For some reason I think this chapter turned out bad a little bit. Well, I'm going to over it again before I posted so maybe it will be better. I think I followed the movie too much. And by the way, I think I've watched Alice In Wonderland enough times to last me for the rest of my life ^_^.  
  
I am so sorry for the long wait, but I was being so lazy and I wrote this chapter in 2 snow days but waited forever to do the ending. But I promise to have the next chapter faster than this one was, and I'm not lying this time.  
  
And, please, if you review tell me if you would like me to write a 100 Acre Wood chapter later on in the fanfic, I doubt anyone will want me too, but you never know, some people actually like Pooh! lol 


	7. AN A Look Ahead

Author' Note - Chaos0110  
  
Yes, I lied on my last chapter, I was 85% done, I just got lazy and never wrote anything. So the next chapter is Prydain, and I will try to write chapters faster. Now I have lots of games i want to play too, like Drakengard the two Lunars, all the FFs and so on.  
  
Well, the last chapter followed the movie a little too much for my liking, and I'm sure nobody likes to watch Alice in Wonderland that much, much less read it. But I've always had a small place in my heart for the movie. Very small, but there nontheless, and I wanted to do it justice, but failed.  
  
Maybe I'll make pieces of it better in the edited version, where I read things over and edit them like errors, mistakes, and things I did wrong based on how I wanted them.   
  
So, maybe you should wait until the Edited Version's up to read, because it will indeed be at least a little better, and after you read the unedited, you won't want to read it agin, unless you really like reading KH/Disney stuff.  
  
Well, hopefully I'll get the Edited version of Wonderland and Prydain up. And I might change a few stuff in the first four chapters. I went back and saw how poorly things were described in appearance. I KNOW I can do better than THAT.  
  
Until next time! ^_^  
  
Wonderland(Edited Version) - 0%(I'm starting tomorrow after school)  
  
Prydain(The Black Cauldron) - 0% (I'm starting next weekend) On a side note, if you care, the Black Cauldron will be the first world in this fanfic that wasn't actually in KH, so, it could be good or bad, you'll decide for yourself. Not to mention, two people from this part of the fanfic will play a big part in the storyline, or at least be slightly involved. But I won't tell who. xP 


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